Cardinals HC reveals starting QB options for Week 9

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals HC: Kyler Murray or Clayton Tune will start in Week 9

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 10/30/23

It’s not known who the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback will be for their Week 9 matchup with the Cleveland Browns.

All that’s known is that it won’t be Joshua Dobbs, as confirmed by Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday, who stated that rookie Clayton Tune will be competing with Kyler Murray during practice this week to see who will be the team’s new QB1 come Sunday.

Murray has been practicing for the last two weeks while recovering from an ACL injury last season. He practiced with no restrictions last week, and he could be in line to make his first start since Dec. 12 of last year.

"We will keep ramping up Kyler and see how he progresses throughout the week,” Gannon told reporters. “He's coming off a major injury, he's had a couple weeks of work here, he's made major strides but we want to make sure he feels comfortable with everything we are doing.”

From The Insiders on #NFLPlus: Taking a look at when #AZCardinals QB Kyler Murray may play and what it means. pic.twitter.com/MAAqrtQnXB
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 30, 2023

Murray hasn’t played in 11 months since tearing his ACL against the New England Patriots last December. He’s still on the PUP list, and he must be activated by Nov. 8 to play.

Tune, a 24-year-old rookie from the University of Houston, had a solid showing in the preseason. He completed 57.6% of his passes for 353 yards, a touchdown and an interception in three games.

He’s appeared in just one game this year, completing his only pass for four yards in a 20-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7.

"The things we saw in preseason and the things we saw him work on, he's done a good job," Gannon said about Tune. "I think he'll go out and sling it, if he's out there."

Dobbs, who’s started all eight games this year after an offseason trade from the Browns, has played decent, but he hasn’t really moved the needle much. He’s averaged 196 yards passing per game and thrown eight touchdowns.

However, he’s also been picked off five times in his last four games, including a two-interception outing Sunday in a 31-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. After stating he had full confidence in Dobbs after the Ravens loss, Gannon admitted he decided to make a switch after rewatching Sunday’s film.

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