Why Starting Josh Dobbs is Right Move for Cardinals
TEMPE -- NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed what felt inevitable on Wednesday: The Arizona Cardinals will be starting QB Josh Dobbs on Sunday when they open the season against the Washington Commanders.
With Kyler Murray still on the mend from an ACL/meniscus tear suffered late last season, the Cardinals rolled into training camp with Colt McCoy, Clayton Tune, David Blough and Jeff Driskel.
Arizona quickly realized McCoy's 37-year-old arm wouldn't cut it during Murray's absence - which is set to be the first four games but is likely to extend further - and rolling with the fifth-round rookie in Tune would have been asking for trouble, at least to begin the season.
Dobbs was acquired roughly two weeks ago in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Arizona sent a fifth-round pick in exchange for the veteran quarterback and a seventh-rounder as well.
The Cardinals tried their best to keep their secret under wraps. Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon swatted any attempts to name a starter ahead of Sunday after being asked numerous times when speaking with reporters. Quarterbacks typically speak on Wednesday for media availability, though the Cardinals made neither Dobbs nor Tune available this week.
Rapoport's revelation came in the time window of after Gannon's press conference on Wednesday and before reporters were allowed locker room access after practice. Gannon told reporters his team knew who would be starting.
The Cardinals tried their best to downplay the situation - Dobbs said he didn't know who was starting when asked and Tune was the same, though his demeanor suggested he knew he wouldn't be starting.
When other Cardinals players were asked about Dobbs starting, they also claimed to not know. "He [Rapoport] found out before I did. We were supposed to be told in a team meeting today," said one player.
We'll see if Gannon actually confirms it now that the cat is out of the bag - though it's the right decision to make.
If the Cardinals were truly trying to tank, McCoy would still be in Arizona. He clearly was not prepared to steady the boat until Murray returned despite being preserved through training camp and preseason play. Similar to Isaiah Simmons and his eventual departure, the Cardinals decided to cut ties with players who simply couldn't perform required duties.
That's the reality. The Cardinals are certainly in the process of rebuilding, but the current group of coaches and players right here, right now are intent on winning. Future draft picks and cap space does not matter to them.
When focusing on who gives you the best chance to win in the season opener, and potentially beyond that, Dobbs was the frontrunner immediately after landing in Arizona.
Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork both worked with Dobbs previously in Cleveland. Dobbs and the organization also said the two had mutual interest in free agency before he signed elsewhere.
The familiarity in Arizona's new offense is a major advantage for Dobbs, as left tackle D.J. Humphries said he practically already knows the playbook.
"You can tell he already knows the offense. That's kind of the first thing that kind struck me was like, 'Oh, sh--, okay. We're not coaching him up on anything. He knows. He's telling me what I should [be doing]'" said Humphries.
"I think that's the first thing I noticed about him. He's very poised. He's very chill and you can tell he knows this isn't his first time being in this offense. It shows, you can tell."
The quarterback must first grasp the offense before executing it, and Dobbs understands what the Cardinals want to do offensively nearly better than anybody despite being one of the last additions to the roster.
Dobbs has been deemed highly intelligent at every stop he's been to since being drafted in 2017. The blend of familiarity, intelligence, and athleticism gave the Cardinals a nice halfway passer between McCoy and Tune, as Dobbs carries years of experience in the league while being physically gifted as well.
This isn't an endorsement for Dobbs to lead the Cardinals to an undefeated season. Fans must be aware that Dobbs bounced from three different teams in 2022, and there's a reason he's not a franchise quarterback for one of 32 organizations.
When it comes to Week 1, Dobbs was the easy answer - and frankly, he was the only answer when the Cardinals made the decision to bring him in.
Yet that shouldn't shut the door on Tune seeing the field in 2023.
As previously stated, throwing a fifth-round rookie into the fire Week 1 isn't going to be a winning formula. There were some comparisons between Tune and Brock Purdy after he was selected, though comparing the current state of the 49ers/Cardinals is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a bicycle with the chain threating to wobble off at any moment.
Tune is mobile and flashed some good things in the preseason, though his inability to progress through reads and overall inconsistency throwing the ball was a problem during games. We found that out in Week 1 during our own film review and former NFL quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan echoed the same thing in his Week 3 film analysis of Tune.
It's clear the Cardinals like Tune, but it's also clear they didn't want to rush his development just yet. Tune currently finds himself in a situation to where he could still possibly see game action if Dobbs doesn't perform up to par before Murray returns.
Murray will be out until further notice. His placement on the PUP list guarantees he'll miss Weeks 1-4 but he will still need a week or two of practice before a return is realistic. Week 7/8 seems to be a more suitable timeline to expect Arizona's franchise passer back in action.
That gives a rather large window for either Tune to continue sharpening his craft and potentially overtake Dobbs, or for Dobbs to play himself out of the starting role entirely. Another reminder: You're one snap away from playing in the NFL due to injury, too.
The Cardinals want the following out of a quarterback:
- Knows the system
- Experienced
- Intelligent
- Mobile
Dobbs checks those boxes.
We'll see how things unfold in the desert as the season progresses, though the Cardinals undoubtedly made the right call to start Dobbs over Tune to kick off festivities in Week 1.
