Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs addresses eventual Kyler Murray return

Arizona Cardinals journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs understands he's only temporarily atop the depth chart as Kyler Murray recovers from knee surgery. 

"I stay true to me," Dobbs told Darren Urban of the Cardinals' website. "I'm excited to see Kyler come back. I have watched his game from afar for a while. It's cool to meet him and be in the same room as him and be around him. When (the return) happens, I control what I can control and absorb whatever role that puts me in and go from there."

Murray underwent ACL surgery that included some meniscus repair in early January to repair an injury he suffered playing against the New England Patriots on Dec. 12 and began this season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. 

While individuals such as Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing have publicly insisted they plan to play Murray when he's cleared and before the campaign ends, many members of the NFL community previously believed Arizona would phone in this season so that the club could ultimately draft star quarterback Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans next spring. 

Dobbs never received such a memo, as he guided the Cardinals to an upset 28-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys this past weekend and probably also should've earned victories over the Washington Commanders in Week 1 and the New York Giants in Week 2. According to ESPN stats, the 28-year-old who only joined the Cardinals on Aug. 24 ended Week 3 ranked 10th among qualified players with a 61.2 adjusted QBR and ninth with a 98.1 passer rating on the season. He recorded a pair of touchdown passes across his first three games. 

"It'll be OK," Dobbs added about Murray's eventual return. "I'll manage it, he'll manage it, we'll be fine."

Dobbs and the 1-2 Cardinals play at the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers this coming Sunday. As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker listed Arizona as a massive underdog (+625, +14) for that game.