The Arizona Cardinals are enduring a challenging season with a 1-7 record. They’ve suffered back-to-back defeats and now find themselves at the bottom of the NFC West, despite a single win against the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to their ongoing poor performance, uncertainty surrounds their quarterback situation.
The Cardinals’ starting QB, Kyler Murray, is still recovering from an ACL tear last season and is currently on the “Physically Unable to Perform” list. During his absence, Joshua Dobbs assumed the role but failed to secure victories for the team. As they approach their Week 9 game, the team has made the decision to turn to Clayton Tune, leaving Murray and Dobbs on the sidelines.
Who is Cardinals’ rookie backup Clayton Tune?
Tune, the backup quarterback, began his NFL career when the Cardinals drafted him as the 139th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft’s fifth round. He was the first to sign a rookie contract among the nine draft picks on the team. The Arizona-based franchise signed him to a four-year deal exceeding $4.19 million, including a $350,624 signing bonus, and he will earn a $750,000 salary this year.
This season, the signal-caller recorded one pass attempt along with a completion for four yards in the week 7 match against the Seattle Seahawks where Kyler was ruled out, despite being rumored to play earlier.
Before his NFL career, Tune attended Hebron High School in Texas and ultimately chose the University of Houston over his initial commitment to the University of Kansas.
Why is Clayton Tune set to replace QB Kyler Murray?
Murray is working hard to get out of the physically unable-to-perform list, and in his absence, the Cardinals made up their minds to let Tune do the quarterbacking job. On Monday, the team’s head coach Jonathan Gannon revealed their decision to bank on the rookie star and said the decision was taken after discussing with the three QBs on the roster.
“We’re going to keep ramping up Kyler and see how he progresses throughout the week. If it’s not Kyler, then it’s going to be Clayton Tune. I talked to all three quarterbacks, and on the same page with how we’re going to operate moving forward. Look forward to having a good week of prep. Cleveland, two-day trip, try to go get a win,” he said via NFL.com.
However, following the Cardinals’ recent loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Gannon initially announced that veteran Joshua Dobbs would be starting in the upcoming match against the Cleveland Browns. Later on, he reversed his decision, stating that Murray or Tune might take on the role. The head coach revealed that he changed his mind after reviewing the film of the Ravens game.
