Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was back on the field during the open part of practice Friday morning.
He had not practiced since suffering an ankle injury on Thursday Night Football in Week 8.
Murray was not partaking in every rep nor fully stepping into his throws, but he was out there and participating which is a big step forward.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said after practice that Murray is still a game-day decision.
"It's good to have him out there," Kingsbury said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow, on Sunday and go from there."
His official game-day status will be released during the injury report later Friday. He will likely be ruled questionable and as a limited participant in practice.
Kingsbury said in order for Murray to play, he has to be able to protect himself. Even if the quarterback is not 100% healthy, Kingsbury said he could play so long as he can move and escape.
Practice notes
Who's back, who was not
Murray was not the only captain back on the field Friday. Safety Budda Baker was participating and looking sharp after being ruled a non-participant for two days (one of which was an estimated injury report).
He was involved in a big collision late in last Sunday's game, and he was listed with a concussion/knee injury. The concussion label was removed Thursday.
"He looks good; I expect him to play," Kingsbury said.
Wide receiver Rondale Moore was also back on the field after being out with a neck/concussion designation.
Kingsbury said Moore's status is wait-and-see.
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was practicing after he stretched and then was ruled a non-participant Thursday.
However, there were still many Cardinals out.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, running backs Chase Edmonds and Jonathan Ward, guards Max Garcia and Justin Pugh along with safety James Wiggins were all not present.
Kingsbury said Hopkins is still day-to-day, and Edmonds was previously ruled out.
Justin Murray
Last week, the Cardinals designated offensive lineman Justin Murray to return from injured reserve. He has been out since getting hurt in Week 3, but he has been on the practice field.
Kingsbury said, though, that Murray won't be activated ahead of Sunday's game as he is still working his way back.
Coach Rodgers
Special-teams coordinator and assistant head coach Jeff Rodgers was not able to go to San Francisco last week as he had COVID-19.
Kingsbury said he expects Rodgers to be back for Sunday.
Dealing with injuries
Kingsbury said it's not easy to deal with so many injuries, but his team is not alone at this stage of the season.
"The standard is the standard and the next guy has got to execute at a high level," Kingsbury said. "Guys are holding each other accountable."
Nose tackle Corey Peters said that Arizona's depth is key to withstanding the injury concerns and that the team does a great job of getting everyone involved during the week.
That way, when a player is needed in a game, they've at least had that situation played out or gone over previously.
"Everybody prepares to play throughout the week and I think it's been really good for us," Peters said.
What to expect from the Panthers Sunday
"They're going to try to get the run game going," Peters said. "Stopping the run and getting us in situations where it's third-and-7 or third-and-long. Our third-down packages have been really successful."
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