Publicly making it known multiple times, the Arizona Cardinals plan on keeping Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Since drafting him in 2019, Murray has been the No. 1 with a carousel of multiple quarterbacks in and out of the fold behind him.
While he was out for half of last season with an ACL injury, Clayton Tune and Josh Dobbs were the two who filled in for the time being. Dobbs went 1-8 as the starter before eventually being traded to the Minnesota Vikings after Murray returned.
Tune was the backup under Murray for the remainder of the season after Dobbs was dealt.
He made seven appearances in his rookie season last year and started once, a 27-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Tune completed 12-of-21 passes for 62 yards, threw two interceptions and scored a rushing touchdown
But as the 2024 Free Agency frenzy got started, Arizona decided to add depth and form QB competition.
On March 14, the Cardinals acquired Desmond Ridder from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for WR Rondale Moore.
After five seasons at the University of Cincinnati (2017-21), Ridder was a third-round (74th overall) pick in the 2022 Draft. The Kentucky native was with the Falcons for two seasons (2022-23) prior to his departure.
Playing 19 games (17 starts), he completed 322-of-503 passes for 3,544 yards and registered 14 touchdowns. Ridder owned an 8-9 record while in Atlanta.
With both Ridder and Tune still relatively new to the NFL, it will be interesting to see who will possess a larger role on Arizona.
Will they go with Ridder who has more starting experience or Tune who hasn’t had a consistent run of games to prove himself just yet?
Training camp and preseason will tell which direction the Cardinals’ coach staff will lean toward.
If the season begins tomorrow, who are you going with at No. 2 behind Murray?
More must-reads: