If Murray gets hurt the Cardinals will be on the hook for 100% of his salary. This seems like a huge gamble / not smart move but maybe I’m missing something.
Only if the injury is so severe that he can't pass a physical next March. I don't dismiss that risk, it is significant but it is still highly unlikely. Maybe 10% chance, unless at this point his body is a time bomb that's pretty much bound to explode in his next few hundred snaps but in that case you'd rather have it happen now than next year when you don't have an offseason to do anything about it.
By testing Kyler now the new coaching staff can get a lot of clarity for their upcoming offseason. If he struggles then they would need to plan to use the necessary draft capital on an heir presumptive they're confident in. Same if he suffers a major injury. If he performs well then their 2024 outlook will get enormously brighter. He'll have knocked off all the rust and developed comfort with the new system plus new personnel.
I have no doubt Kyler wants to play. What a player wants shouldn't always be a decisive consideration but it's always nice to be able to fulfill the wishes of your franchise QB especially when the wish comes from competitive fire. Let him play now and you allow him to build confidence and momentum while giving him an opportunity to use the offseason if he struggles (if he doesn't take that opportunity that's on him).
Plus while this is meaningless to us, if Kyler plays well the Cardinals will receive an immediate boost in attendance and ratings, which will carry over next year into higher season ticket sales and more nationally televised games on the 2024 docket.
Gannon's decision to not only play Kyler but trade Josh Dobbs too tells me he likes what he's seen on the practice field. Seems like he's had a plan regarding Kyler all season and he's happy with the way it has unfolded. I bet Kyler validates Gannon's plan by hitting the ground running. I'm starting him in my main league this weekend (for Mahomes' bye) with confidence.