The Arizona Cardinals have ended the Joshua Dobbs experiment at quarterback following a 1-7 start to the 2023 season.
First-year head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Monday that Dobbs has been benched. The decision came after he watched film of Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravnes.
In Dobbs’ stead, either rookie mid-round pick Clayton Tune or the injured Kyler Murray will get the start next week against the Cleveland Browns.
Acquired from the Browns immediately ahead of Week 1, Dobbs has started all eight games this season as Murray nears a return from the torn ACL he suffered during the 2022 campaign. He’s thrown eight touchdowns compared to five interceptions in those eight starts. Sunday’s loss to Baltimore saw Dobbs throw two interceptions.
The most interesting thing coming from Monday’s announcement is the fact that Murray could actually get the start against Cleveland. He was designated to return from injured reserve earlier in October, opening a three-week practice window.
Arizona has to make a decision here soon whether to activate Murray or sit him for the remainder of the season. The former No. 1 pick last suited up back in December of 2022 when he suffered a torn ACL in a game against the New England Patriots.
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Kyler Murray could start Week 9 for the Arizona Cardinals
Murray was removed from the injury report altogether leading up to Sunday’s game against Baltimore. Despite this, Arizona’s brass made the decision to go with Dobbs for another start. The end result was a seventh loss in eight games to open Gannon’s tenure in the desert.
If the season were to end today, Arizona would have the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That makes USC star quarterback Caleb Williams a real possibility.
As for the Cardinals, they are still publicly backing Murray as a franchise quarterback moving forward.
“[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,” Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing told reporters ahead of Week 1. “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.”
Arizona is going to want to see what Murray can provide moving forward on the season. Whether that evaluation process starts Week 9 remains to be seen.
Over the course of his four-year NFL career, Murray has tallied 107 total touchdowns compared to 41 interceptions. Though, he struggled last season (14 TD, 7 INT) as the Cardinals took a major step back under then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Murray, 26, is playing under a five-year, $230.5 million contract he signed with Arizona ahead of the start of the 2022 season.