A quarterback change is looming in Arizona.
On Monday, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced that Clayton Tune or Kyler Murray will start at quarterback versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 9. Joshua Dobbs has been benched.
Gannon told the media on Sunday that Dobbs would start next week, only to reverse course after reviewing film postgame.
Gannon said he changed his mind about Dobbs starting and moving to Kyler/Tune after watching video. Decision made by this morning.
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) October 30, 2023
Murray, who is still on injured reserve as he recovers from a torn ACL, will only start at quarterback if he is truly ready. Otherwise, Tune will make his NFL debut.
For what it’s worth, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network heard from an industry source that Murray is trending towards missing one more week. As a result, Tune is most likely going to start, albeit for just one game.
Barring a significant change of plans, #AZCardinals rookie Clayton Tune is expected to start this week, sources say. Kyler Murray may still play, but next week is more likely as of now.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 30, 2023
Considering Dobbs was acquired at the end of the preseason and thrust into a uniquely underwhelming situation, he performed quite well. The veteran started eight games, including a 28-16 upset victory over the Cowboys in Week 3. He completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also elevated the offense with his rushing ability, adding 258 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. On a more negative note, he took 17 sacks and also lost four fumbles.
Tune, the Cardinals’ most likely Week 9 starter, is a rookie out of the University of Houston. Arizona used a fifth-round pick to select him. During his final collegiate season, he completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,074 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
At 1-7, Arizona’s playoff hopes are down the drain. Essentially, they would need to win each of their nine remaining games and pray for a miracle in order to have any shot at playing beyond Week 18. However, the Cardinals still have something to look forward to: a high draft pick. If the season were to end today, Arizona would pick No. 1 overall, giving them the opportunity to acquire any prospect.
University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams is the projected top selection, though Arizona doesn’t fall on his list of desired landing spots and presumably wouldn’t be able to award him the ownership stake that he desires. If Arizona ends up at No. 1 and passes on Williams, other options at quarterback would include North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Colorado State’s Shedeur Sanders, or Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
It’s laughable to think there is a QB this year better than Caleb Williams….
This isn’t even a highlight, this is just a regular play for him. pic.twitter.com/UCMorHx759
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 22, 2023
Of course, Arizona doesn’t have to pigeonhole itself into drafting a quarterback. Doing so would mean that Murray is traded (a real possibility under the new tutelage of Gannon) and Arizona doesn’t find its signal-caller of the future in free agency. The Cardinals are one big game from Murray or heavenly match in free agency away from not needing to draft a quarterback, which could allow them to pick someone like Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. or Penn State tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu — or even trade back.
But these are debates for the offseason. From a short-term lens, Arizona will prepare for the Browns with all eyes on Tune and Murray during practice. One would hope that the Cardinals offer clarity on their plans by the end of the week, but Gannon has been particularly coy and secretive on depth chart decisions in the past.
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