The New Orleans Saints face the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason debut on Saturday, but when they step on the field, they will not see quarterback Kyler Murray unless they look to the sidelines. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced Murray will not only sit out Saturday's debut but the entire preseason.

Deciding how much to play your starters is always an interesting decision for coaches. Dennis Allen has yet to make that decision, or announce it at least. Derek Carr played a single series in last year's entire threee-game preseason. That should be the minimum stepping into Klint Kubiak's system.

This will be the third preseason in a row Murray won't play. The last time Murray saw preseason action was 2021, when he threw four passes versus the Chiefs. He was recovering from an ACL injury in 2023 that caused him to miss the preseason.

Because it was Gannon's first year as head coach, Murray may have played that year if he was available. However, Gannon likely saw enough at the end of the regular season to keep Murray out of the preseason this year.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Kyler Murray sitting out preseason debut vs. Saints