New Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon had been tight-lipped about who would start at quarterback Week 1 against the Washington Commanders.
It was between recent acquisition Joshua Dobbs and rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune to start for the injured Kyler Murray.
While the Cardinals have yet to officially name a starter, multiple media reports indicate that Dobbs will get a first go at it on Sunday. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport also reported that Arizona will take it week-to-week.
Dobbs, 28, was acquired from the Cleveland Browns during the preseason. The former Pittsburgh Steelers fourth-round pick out of Tennessee has seen limited regular season action since he entered the league back in 2017.
- Josh Dobbs stats (2017-22): 59% completion, 456 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 73.8 QB rating
Wednesday’s reports come just hours after Gannon refused to show his hand during his week-of press conference. “I ain’t telling you anything,” the first-year Arizona Cardinals head coach told reporters.
Tune saw more preseason action than any other Cardinals quarterback and looked pretty good. But the idea of starting a rookie mid-round pick out of the gate is a bit troublesome. Despite his lack of overall experience, Dobbs has at least been in the league for a few years.
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Arizona Cardinals QB situation remains unsettled
The backdrop here is Murray’s presence on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List as he continues to recover from a torn ACL the former No. 1 pick suffered a season ago.
While there were reports that the Cardinals might sit Murray in order to avoid paying his injury guarantees, they have thrown support in his direction when speaking publicly about the situation.
“[I’m] really pleased with where he’s at, kind of how he’s handled things. I think that’s one of the main reasons you see him as a captain,” Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing told reporters recently. “I certainly view him as a franchise quarterback and a leader of this organization, and I think his teammates do, too. So, I was really happy for him to kind of get that nod. It’s been good.”
As noted above, Murray will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season. In addition to taking on the Commanders in Week 1, this span includes outings against 2022 playoffs teams in that of the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.