Cardinals' Jonathan Gannon Won't Reveal Sunday's Starting QB But Says Kyler Murray Will Play This Season
The Arizona Cardinals and their sometimes bizarre quarterback situation is in the news again so let's address what coach Jonathan Gannon is saying about Kyler Murray, Josh Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune.
(Never have so many words been used on a team that's going to struggle so badly).
Anyway, the Cardinals recently selected Murray as a team captain. This might have been a surprise to some people because the Cardinals placed Murray on the physically unable to perform list to start the regular-season, which means he must miss the team's first four games.
That move kind of freaked some people out and led them to read between the lines. OutKick read between the lines months ago and the takeaway was: the Cardinals are going to be a bad team in 2023.
Jonathan Gannon Expects Kyler Murray To Play
Former NFL personnel man Mike Lombardi, meanwhile, said the Cardinals should never let Murray play this season so as to make escaping the quarterback's contract easier for the team next offseason. Not playing Murray protects the team from having to guarantee next year's contract for injury.
Well, that suggestion is falling on deaf ears out in the desert. Because Gannon was directly asked Tuesday if he expects Murray to play for the Cardinals this season.
"Yes, I do." Gannon said during an appearance on ESPN 620-AM.
Pressed again whether he expects Murray to play for the Cardinals this year, the coach said, "I do. I do."
Cardinals Seem Committed To Kyler Murray
Maybe that's a reason the team picked Murray as a captain despite his initial absence to begin the season. Gannon has referred to Murray as Arizona's "franchise quarterback."
"Everything that I want for our captains to be, he demonstrates it," Gannon said this week.
And while Murray, who tore the ACL in his right knee last December, has not yet been cleared to practice or play, he's shown leadership in other ways during his rehabilitation, according to Gannon.
"I know this, he progresses every day," Gannon said. "He's getting a little bit better every day. Not to say there are some good days and some bad days, going through that type of injury because he definitely has those.
"But he has been all in. He's got to balance the health part of it, the football part of it, being a great teammate, which he's done a fantastic job of -- helping other guys, being very present in meetings and the practice field.
"This guy is doing a great job. So I'm excited for him. But he's progressing every day. Every day he makes a little bit of a jump in his health and it's good to see because he's made a lot of sacrifices since I've known him to be able to get to this point where he's at right now."
Cardinals Seek An Advantage
None of this, of course, means anything for the Cardinals regular-season opener at Washington on Sunday. For that game, the Cardinals are playing coy about publicly naming a starting quarterback.
The team's depth chart includes both Dobbs and Tune as starters.
"We're going to play close to the vest right now," Gannon said. "We got a plan that we feel good about. The players know what's going on and we're going to give ourselves a chance to go win a game on Sunday."
NFL practices are typically closed during the regular season except for a short window, either at the start or the end, during which practically nothing is happening except for stretching. So media doesn't know who is getting first-team work in practice.
Neither do the Commanders.
Either Josh Dobbs Or Clayton Tune Start
And Gannon is convinced that gives the Cardinals a competitive advantage.
"Absolutely there is," he said. "I think a little bit of unknown can help you going into Week 1...I do think there is an advantage."
Look, it's probably going to be Dobbs this game. He's the veteran. But regardless of that, not committing to one starter publicly helps the Cardinals in that the Commanders have to prepare for two quarterbacks rather than one.
Gannon, the defensive coordinator for the Eagles the last two years, said that's "huge" because just preparing for one quarterback is hard.
The problem with all this skullduggery? The Cardinals aren't hiding a latter day Kurt Warner in practices.
Dobbs or Tune will start. Until Kyler Murray is ready to play.