The Cardinals may end up starting at least three quarterbacks for a second straight season, but Kyler Murray‘s extended onramp complicates matters for the NFC West team. One issue will be resolved following Week 8; the Cardinals are set to bench Josh Dobbs.
Jonathan Gannon said Monday the Cardinals will bench Dobbs for their Week 9 matchup against the Browns, with Clayton Tune now in the picture to start. That said, Gannon has not ruled out Murray returning Sunday, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets. Following the Cards’ Week 8 loss to the Ravens, Gannon said Dobbs would receive another start. But after meeting with the three QBs Monday morning, the rookie HC has changed his mind. It will be either a Tune cameo or Murray’s long-awaited return against the Browns.
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While Murray is clearly close, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports Tune is likely to receive the call for the Cards’ Cleveland trip. With the Browns ranking first in pass defense, this promises to be a difficult spot for the fifth-round rookie. But the Cardinals are in a clear rebuild, having never been expected to vie for a playoff spot this season. Tune will receive an early audition for the presumptive role of Murray’s long-term backup.
Murray has until Nov. 8 to be activated, but after deeming the two-time Pro Bowler fully healthy, Gannon (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) has seen the fifth-year passer resemble his pre-injury version in practice. If the Cardinals are moving Dobbs out of the picture, a Murray activation could be imminent. Murray has not played since Week 14 of last season, when he suffered ACL and meniscus injuries. The Cardinals have given the dual-threat talent an extended runup to his fifth season — and first under Gannon and OC Drew Petzing.
Had the Cardinals profiled as a contending team coming into the season, Murray likely would have debuted already. But they are in a rebuild and sitting 1-7. Murray patience has made sense through this lens, and Rapoport adds a Week 10 return is the more likely scenario.
The Cardinals took Tune at No. 139 this year, drafting the ex-Houston Cougar as part of a Day 2 trade with the Lions. As Detroit moved back into Round 3 for defensive tackle Brodric Martin, Arizona continued to stockpile picks. The team had already traded back in Rounds 1 and 2, allowing the Texans and Titans respective access to Will Anderson and Will Levis. Months before Dobbs arrived via trade, Tune came to the desert as part of what was then a crowded depth chart. But Colt McCoy, David Blough and Jeff Driskel are no longer with the Cardinals. Tune has operated as Dobbs’ backup throughout this season.
Tune boasted an impressive stat line in 2022, throwing 40 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions at the then-American Athletic Conference school. Over his final two years with the Cougars, Tune posted a 70-20 TD-INT ratio and averaged at least 8.8 yards per attempt in each slate. Tune should be expected to give way to Murray soon, but this will present an early opportunity. Should Murray return as the starter in Week 10, the Cards will have started seven QBs from 2022-23. McCoy, Blough and Trace McSorley started games last season.
Cards being Cards. Bad management right there. Should have looked at the rookie longer than 1 game when having to decide on paying Murray around $30m guaranteed next offseason.
Tune’s also a 5th rounder and 24. I don’t think they ever seriously considered him as a replacement.
Then why are they starting him now? They waited until the 5th to draft a QB, cut their presumed starter right before the season, & waited until the last second trading for Dobbs. That’s incompetence.
Probably an audition for a future backup role only. They likely wanted a veteran under center to better evaluate other pieces on offense, something that’s hard to do when a rookie QB is still building chemistry and learning the nuances of the position. I also think there’s a decent chance Tune gets more than one week. I don’t think there’s any reason to rush Murray unless they want to blow their draft position or get him re-injured.
Y’all do realize the cardinals are trying to not win games right? They would have the no 1 pick if the season needed today. So they are either getting a amazing QB prospect or trading the pick for the biggest haul of all time. This is actually decent management.
Then they should have started Tune all season. And they shouldn’t bring back Murray. Clearly he would be the best QB on their roster.
Depends which school of thought you belong to, I suppose. Teams think that they can conjure up winning culture out of thin air, that they’ll just get “their guy” and be magically okay. On the other hand, to your point, losing offers you the ultimate flexibility. The issue here, I’d say, is Murray’s massive contract. Arizona probably still has to roster him next year, even if they draft someone there. His cap hit is either around $45 or $55 million for the next four years, and the dead cap is insanely expensive ($97 million this year [!] and $81 million next year). They can’t cut him, and I don’t know who is trading for Murray with the expectation that he is going to be with them until 2027 (his cap hit is $43 million then, but he’d cost only $7 million to cut).
It seems like the absolute best case scenario, if they want to ditch Murray, would be to sit him this year and play Tune so they can develop him (probably as a backup) and net themselves the first pick. Murray would have to start next year, and hopefully be immaculate, so another team would be willing to take on the last three or so years of his deal. The schedule this year doesn’t leave much room to build Murray’s trade value. The Cardinals have by far had their easiest part of the season pass while playing Dobbs; they have five games that look possibly winnable right now against the Bears, Falcons, Texans, Rams, and Steelers, by my estimation. And none of those are close to guaranteed. Any of those teams are a toss up at best. It’s also hard enough to start a rookie against a good pass rush or a good pass defense to begin his career. It’s even harder to do so against both, and the number one defense at that, as Browns are.
The only bad defenses ahead of them are the Bears, and possibly the Rams. The Steelers are probably a winnable opponent, but they have a great pass rush that historically has dominated rookie starters. Different team now, but there’s one historically inclined team, it’s the Steelers. And it’s not like these games all line up, they’re scattered between facing the 49ers, Eagles, and Seahawks. So I don’t know many chances Arizona has this year to allow Murray to post huge stats and build his trade value. They will probably have to do that next year, and hope that he looks good enough for someone to take on that contract after picking their new guy. Or, they could hope that he lives up to his deal. Either way, Murray is by far this biggest question right now.
Having Murray return against CLE D is no bueno but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you’re a Bears fan you don’t really care if the Cardinals throw away their season but you kinda wish they would make Nathan Peterman part of the plan.