Could Clayton Tune Start for Cardinals? Some Believe Yes
Chatter around the Arizona Cardinals and their current quarterback situation will only grow as we approach the start of the 2023 regular season.
We're now just two weeks out from the Cardinals showing up to State Farm Stadium to begin training camp, and Kyler Murray is still rehabbing his torn ACL with no true timetable known for his return.
Thus, there's an opening for the starting spot until Murray is ready to again take the field.
Veteran quarterback Colt McCoy is considered the front runner for the position, though David Blough and rookie Clayton Tune will also get opportunities in training camp and preseason to showcase their skills.
There's been a lot of hype around Tune - the team's fifth-round pick out of Houston - whose first words to reporters were him believing he can be the best quarterback in his class.
Confidence isn't lost on Tune, and that showed to Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during the team's period of camps and OTA's.
"What I like about him is he's not scared," said Gannon.
"He is not scared. There's a couple throws that he made out there the last week or so and I'm like, 'Man, that's that's a tight fit right there.' And he was like, 'I know. I'll get it, I'll put it in there.' So I think his handle of the offense has impressed myself and I know the coaches because we've thrown a lot at him to operate the offense the way we want the quarterback position operated, and he's making some good reads."
Camp is starting up soon, and the Cardinals will eventually find answers to some questions that helmets and shorts couldn't settle. That includes who is best fit to start at quarterback, and some believe Tune can very much become the guy in the desert.
Bleacher Report - in their bold prediction article ahead of training camp - believes Tune can win the job.
"Tune's pathway to a starting role differs from Purdy's because the former has a chance to win the job outright in the offseason. Nonetheless, Tune has this opportunity because of Murray's injury. Aside from that, McCoy hasn't started in more than four games in a season since 2011, and he finished the previous campaign on the sideline because of lingering symptoms from a concussion," wrote Maurice Moton.
"Though McCoy has a significant edge over Tune in experience, the rookie can win over the Cardinals' new coaching staff with his athleticism and playmaking ability. In his last two years at Houston, Tune threw for 70 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and rushed for 700 yards and seven touchdowns.
"Like Purdy, Tune has a lot of collegiate starts (42) on his resume, which may shorten his learning curve. Assuming the Cardinals give Murray extended time to recover, they may prefer Tune's upside over McCoy's experience."
The Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman isn't dismissing that possibility, either.
"All anyone can know for sure is that with Murray expected to miss some portion of the start of next season and McCoy, 36, being an obvious injury risk, the door could swing wide open for a guy like Tune to seize the moment and experience his own Brock Purdy-type opportunity," wrote McManaman.
"If it happens, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise. At the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, after all, Tune posted an overall athleticism score of 89, tied for second-best among all quarterbacks behind only Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who went No. 4 to the Colts."
Even our own Richie Bradshaw dove into Tune becoming a potential starter in his rookie profile piece.
"Folks, Tune may very well be your Week 1 starting quarterback for the Cardinals. Take that however you may, but the possibility is much stronger than many may realize or like to admit," said Bradshaw.
"The most important thing the Cardinals must remember in 2023 is that getting Kyler Murray back onto the field should be of low precedence. This team is not competing with or without him in 2023 and should instead look to evaluate talent on the roster."
Nothing is for certain, though we'll see if the Cardinals are ready to get Tune'd up.
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