Trace

McSorley

McSorley’s most recent NFL snaps came with the Cardinals in 2022 after Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL. The Patriots signed him to a one-year deal last offseason but he didn’t make the team. He has since spent time on the Bears and Steelers’ practice squads. The Commanders are likely to be without reserve quarterback Sam Hartman for their upcoming preseason matchup with Miami. McSorley, who played under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona, was a natural choice on short notice.

McSorley has spent time with the Ravens, Patriots, and Cardinals throughout his career after being drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Bears signed him to their practice squad after Justin Fields’ hand injury. Chicago has rookie Tyson Bagent slated to start while Nathan Peterman and now McSorley back him up.

McSorley was signed as added quarterback depth but was a long-shot to make the 53-man roster. The emergence of quarterback Malik Cunningham this offseason only made things more difficult for McSorley was drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and also spent time with the Cardinals last season. He appeared in just two preseason games for the Patriots this season and attempted four passes.

McSorley got extended playing time as a backup with the Cardinals last season after Kyler Murray’s injury, and even started one game. He’s got a career 51.6% completion percentage and has thrown one touchdown against give interceptions. He’s also rushed 21 times for 79 yards. The soon-to-be-28-year-old is a depth add. It probably didn’t hurt his chances that he went to Penn State, OC Bill O’Brien’s former coaching grounds.

David Blough started this game but suffered a concussion in the second half and did not return. It didn’t take long for McSorley to show why the Cardinals chose Blough over him in back-to-back weeks. He threw his fifth interception of the season on his final throw of the game. After struggling in a few late-season appearances with the Cardinals, don’t expect to see Arizona make him an offer in free agency. McSorley will look for a new home as a free agent in the offseason, though he may wind up on a practice squad to start the 2023 season.

The efficiency was severely lacking for McSorley but head coach and offensive play caller Kliff Kingsbury allowed the young quarterback to try and win the game for the Cardinals in his first NFL start, calling a more aggressive game as Arizona tried to play spoiler against the Buccaneers. That said, it wasn’t all rainbows and roses for McSorley, who showed his inexperience on multiple occasions including missed reads and numerous passes that could have been intercepted. His only interception of the game came at the end of regulation on a Hail Mary attempt. McSorley should head back to the bench in Week 17 against the Falcons as long as Colt McCoy can clear the league’s concussion protocol as some point during the week.

Colt McCoy will miss Week 16 while recovering from a concussion. McSorley has 29 passes in relief duty this year. He has thrown for 166 yards and three interceptions. Expectations for him and the entire offense will be shockingly low this week. DeAndre Hopkins and James Conner will still be WR2 and RB2 options respectively, but fantasy managers shouldn’t look any deeper on this roster for FLEX options.

McCoy took a hard hit in Week 15 before leaving the game with a concussion. He did not return, putting Trace McSorley in the lineup for the bulk of the second half. McSorley struggled, throwing two interceptions on no scores on 15 attempts. With only him and David Blough on the active roster, McSorley will draw the start this week. He is not on the fantasy radar, even in Superflex leagues.

McSorley came on in the third quarter after quarterback Colt McCoy exited with a concussion. The veteran quarterback did little to aid the Cardinals’ offensive efforts, completing less than 50 percent of his passes while tossing two interceptions, including one that resulted in a Broncos touchdown two plays later. McCoy will need to clear concussion protocol to have a shot at playing in Week 16 against the Buccaneers. If he’s unable to go, it will likely be McSorley who draws the start for the now 4-10 Cardinals. Even if he draws the start, there’s no reason whatsoever to throw McSorley into your fantasy lineups.

The team placed Colt McCoy on injured reserve, meaning McSorley will serve as Kyler Murray’s backup to start the regular season. McSorley played heavy snaps in the preseason, completing 54 percent of his throws for 535 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), one touchdown, and two interceptions. He has some rushing upside that could make him interesting in superflex formats should Murray miss time in 2022.