Cardinals turn to David Blough to start in Atlanta; Colt McCoy out another week

The Arizona Cardinals will have their fourth different starting quarterback of the season on Sunday in Atlanta, as David Blough will begin the game against the Falcons.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said on Friday that Blough, signed two weeks ago when the Cardinals lost Kyler Murray to a knee injury, will get the nod over Trace McSorley, who started last week’s game against Tampa Bay.

Colt McCoy was in line to start and spoke Wednesday as if he would do so, but showed concussion symptoms after Thursday's practice and was ruled out.

"I feel for Colt going through everything he's going through. And yeah, you never know how many opportunities you get in this league. And to be able to be standing here after getting here a few weeks ago, I'm excited to go cut it loose and give these guys everything I've got," Blough said after Friday's practice.

Blough, 27, has appeared in seven NFL games since entering the league undrafted out of Purdue. His best season was as a rookie with the Detroit Lions, when he started five games and threw for 984 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

After being waived by the Detroit Lions out of training camp, Blough landed with the Minnesota Vikings on their practice squad. The Cardinals signed him on December 14.

He was inactive when the Cardinals played at Denver, the game in which McCoy went down with a head injury. McSorley stepped in for McCoy and played the entire game against Tampa Bay on Christmas, with Blough as the backup.

Read more: Cardinals predicted to land top pick in 2023 NFL draft

Now Blough gets his chance after two weeks of some practice reps and trying to learn as much of the offense as he can. It's an offense he knows something about from growing up in Texas and watching Texas Tech's "Air Raid" offense as a youngster, with Kingsbury at quarterback for the Raiders.

But Blough has never played in that style of offense.

"There's a little bit of carryover verbiage wise, but being able to conceptualize it with things I've done in the past, other places, whether it's Detroit or Minnesota, that's kind of how you have to go about it," Blough said, "and try to forget the old as fast as you can and just learn the new."

Kingsbury said he wants to evaluate Blough, and was asked how McSorley handled finding out he wouldn't start.

"He's a competitor, but he also understands the situation we're in and where we're at. There's some evaluation that needs to be done at this point," Kingsbury said. "So he's done a good job handling his business and being ready to go if he needs to."

Regarding Blough's readiness, Kingsbury said the offensive coaches will tailor the game plan to the plays Blough feels good about, as they did with McSorley last week.

McSorley helped the Cardinals take a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but a fumble on a pitch-out for a turnover and the team's inability to move the ball late in the game stood out.

Blough gets another chance to appear on the small screen, as he was featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" in training camp trying to make the Lions' roster for the regular season. He dropped a snap late in a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons and turned the ball over, and a couple of weeks later was released.

The "Hard Knocks" crew with the Cardinals could re-visit that moment as the show tells the story of Blough's opportunity this week.

"To be here standing before you, I'm blessed," Blough said, pausing briefly with some emotion. "I'm thankful for everybody. Coaches, family, everybody who helped me be able to stand where I'm standing right now with this opportunity. I hope they all know I'm just going to go cut it loose and are proud."

Hot seat: Kliff Kingsbury huge favorite to be next NFL coach fired

Hopkins decision looms

Blough might not have wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to throw to on Sunday, as Hopkins has a knee issue and left Friday's practice early, Kingsbury said. Hopkins will be evaluated on Saturday to see where he is physically and if he can play at Atlanta.

Also for the Cardinals, running back James Conner was back in practice Friday after missing the first two sessions of the week with an illness. He's on track to play Sunday.

"He wants to play. You know, he's competitor, and we're going to keep playing to win the games, Kingsbury said of Conner. "And that's where we're at."

Cornerback Antonio Hamilton (hip) will not play Sunday, and the Cardinals will see how cornerback Marco Wilson (neck) feels on Saturday before determining if he is available. Wilson is questionable, as are linebacker Tanner Vallejo (knee) and offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (knee/ankle).

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals name David Blough to start in Atlanta; Colt McCoy still out