Cardinals Quarterback Depth Operates Offense Smoothly in Preseason Win

On no play did he showcase his athleticism more than on third-and-6  with two minutes remaining in the first half. 

McSorley faced pressure from the middle as the four-man rush collapsed the pocket, but he spun away from the arms of multiple defenders. 

The quarterback ran out to his right and lofted a deep pass to the near sideline on the run. The throw perfectly led Andy Isabella, who caught it before stepping out of bounds for a 36-yard play. 

McSorley scrambled for 16 yards two plays later to set up a short touchdown run for Jonathan Ward. 

He finished the half with 163 yards on 13-of-22 passing. 

"He handled the offense like I wanted him to operationally," Kingsbury said postgame. "There were some decisions he'd like to have back, but . . . he tends to make plays with his feet, move around and find a way to put the ball in the end zone."

Guarantano, an undrafted free agent pickup by the Cardinals in May, relieved McSorley at halftime and quickly threw his first touchdown pass. 

Arizona had terrific field position on its first second-half drive after a 55-yard punt return from Greg Dortch, and Guarantano made quick work of Bengals backups. 

He completed his first three throws, his third being a 5-yard touchdown to Jontre Kirklin. Guarantano also tossed a perfect ball going to his left hitting Kirklin in the near corner of the end zone. 

"I think he's taken advantage of the opportunities he's gotten with some of those other guys sitting out," Kingsbury said of Guarantano Wednesday. "So we'll see how it all plays out. Both guys, I've been really proud of their development."

Neither quarterback turned the ball over Friday, and the Cardinals went up 36-9 led by the duo through three quarters. 

They combined for 217 passing yards, completing 20 of 32 throws. 

Kingsbury has said Murray will hardly play at all this preseason if he even suits up. McCoy is dealing with "arm soreness" and did not throw the ball for much of the week.

The Cardinals may need to rely on McSorley and Guarantano to continue operating the offense in the interim with another game coming next Sunday. 

Perhaps they'll throw the ball to more of Arizona's starters next week against the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Cardinals kept three quarterbacks on the roster last year, and McSorley and Guarantano are battling to make their cases. 

Arizona will have decisions to make regarding who to keep on the roster this week as teams will need to pick 85 of 90 players by Tuesday.