GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals may be sitting at 1-8 on the season, but they have gotten some pretty good news as they head into the second half of their season. When Arizona takes on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, quarterback Kyler Murray will be starting for the first time since tearing his ACL last December and now, the team will have their starting running back on the field as well.
The Arizona Cardinals activated running back James Conner on Saturday. He had previously been placed on the designated to return from the injured reserve list.
Conner had been on the IR since Week Five with a knee injury.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke on Friday about the possibility of having Conner back on the field.
"He's our workhorse in the run game," Gannon said. "So it will be good to get him back and it helps not only Kyler, it helps our team."
The Cardinals will take on the Falcons Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Kickoff is at 2:05 p.m.
The Cardinals also re-signed running back Tony Jones Jr. to the team's practice squad and then moved him to the active roster along with offensive lineman Jackson Barton.
The Cardinals also released offensive lineman Vitaliy Gurman from the practice squad.
Conner will be wearing his customary #6 on Sunday, Barton will wear #66 and Jones Jr. will wear #37.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
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