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Aug 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

How Will Cardinals Look With Jacoby Brissett?

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Kyler Burd | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 5:30 PM ET

With no concrete word yet as of Friday morning, it seems increasingly likely that Jacoby Brissett will make his first start as an Arizona Cardinal on the road when the team takes on the surprisingly 4-1 Indianapolis Colts.

Brissett is widely regarded around the league as a highly dependable backups and he brings a wealth of NFL experience. He is right outside the top 32 in career passing yards for active players with over 11,000 yards to go along with 53 career touchdowns and 53 career starts.

A scenario with this experienced vet coming in for Kyler Murray, who is still dealing with a foot injury sustained in the Titans loss last Sunday, will be very different from the last few times a quarterback without the No.1 on their jersey was taking full-time snaps.

Those instances saw the Cardinals struggle behind Clayton Tune and Josh Dobbs and none of those performances were particularly pretty. Fans will probably best remember the drubbing the team received on the road in Cleveland when Tune was under center that ended with 27-0 on the scoreboard.

Brissett represents a very different caliber of quarterback when compared to both Tune and Dobbs that the Cardinals haven't had on their roster since at least 2021 and 2022 when the dependable Colt McCoy was able to go 3-3 in his six starts.

So with Murray likely out on Sunday, what can we expect when Brissett takes charge of this struggling Cardinals offense?

New Quarterback - New Team?

Brissett bring a lot of experience with him as a backup and also has the distinct advantage of having worked within a similar offensive scheme during the 2022 season when he was in Cleveland with Drew Petzing as his quarterback coach.

It was this familiarity that made him such an attractive target in the offseason and now he will get the chance, likely, to showcase whether that experience will help him get a grip on running the offense quicker than a typical backup quarterback might.

Brissett is a fundamentally different player from Murray. Whereas the former Heisman winner is a notably mobile and dynamic quarterback with leg talent that belongs with the best of the best, the backup functions within more traditional bounds of what is expected from the quarterback position.

While he isn't a statue, in his three seasons where he started more than 10 games Brissett put up over 200 rushing yards in each, he is much more a traditional stand up in the pocket and deliver the easy pass sort of player in contrast to Murray who is so physically gifted that he often escapes the pocket earlier than needed in search of the big play.

With what we know and have seen of the Petzing offensive scheme over the past two seasons, it seems like a system that does not require, or possibly even value, a physically dynamic quarterback.

There is an argument to be made that part of why the team has not found the offensive success it needs is a fundamental mismatch between the unique abilies of Murray as an athlete and how Petzing wants his offense to operate.

On the surface, there is not an insignificant chance that Brissett represents the type of quarterback that would be best suited for the power run scheme the Cardinals have been pushing since the coaching changes in 2023, that is not to say, however, that fans should expect a totally different product on Sunday if he does indeed get the starting nod.

The true root of the offensive problems, in the estimation of this author, lies in poor run blocking from an undisciplined offensive line sorely missing the guidance of former position coach Klayton Adams. For the Petzing offense to operate at its best it requires both a solid wall of blockers and a powerful running back, two elements that are now missing with the injuries of James Conner and Trey Benson.

Laying Out Expectations for Brissett

Brissett should be able to come in and run whatever system is given to him, but to expect a better showing than what a healthy Murray can give the team is probably wishful thinking.

Without a fix for the run blocking failures, it seems unlikely that much will be unlocked offensively this week. A continuation of short runs and short passes will probably continue and with a backup more than capable of running such a simple passing scheme it is possible that fans don't notice a massive difference in offensive competency this week.

In one sense, that is good news as the absence of Murray might not be as harshly felt but in another, it is deeply concerning that the Cardinals offense is so milquetoast that the difference between a career backup and the former No. 1 overall pick could be so minimal.

The Colts have surprised many around the league with a very strong 4-1 start with their new quarterback, Daniel Jones. A more complete team than the Cardinals at the moment, Brissett will have his plate full against a good Indianapolis defense.

The Cardinals are going on the road against a team that has scored 30+ points in three out of their five games this season. The defense is the strength for this Arizona team, but it will be a lot to ask of them to contain a dynamic Colts offense and for the Brissett-led Cardinals unit to keep up in scoring.

Too much of a pro for this game to get completely out of hand, Brissett will have his work cut out for him and it will be incredibly interesting to see what, if any, changes are made to the offense if Murray is indeed out of the lineup.