Should Joshua Dobbs remain the starter until Kyler Murray returns?

GLENDALE — Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon made no ifs, ands or buts about it when it came to his confidence level in quarterback Joshua Dobbs following a 31-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Despite yet another inconsistent showing and multiple turnovers, the signal caller lives to see another start in Week 9 against his former team in the Cleveland Browns.

But after five straight weeks of a lot of the same result and the honeymoon phase of the new regime a thing of the past, is that the best move for the team moving forward until franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is activated and playing again?

Let’s take a look:

Reasons against Joshua Dobbs starting in Week 9

Let’s get the big one out of the way first.

Dobbs’ turnovers are killing the Cardinals’ momentum on a weekly basis.

Sure, he can beat opposing defenses with his legs — scoring yet another rushing touchdown on Sunday — but it’s all for naught if he hands the opposition extra possessions due to carelessness with the football on a weekly basis.

Dobbs has now tossed five interceptions and has lost the handle of the football five times, losing it twice.

And when he is finding his pass catchers, it’s only been at a 62.7% clip for 1,569 passing yards and seven touchdowns, with overthrows and missed reads plaguing his output.

No matter how good the defense plays — it turned in a respectable day against Lamar Jackson and a tough Ravens offense — making up for multiple turnovers and long offensive lulls a game is just too tough to get overcome for this version of the Cardinals.

Given where this team came from and where it’s trying to get to, making a switch for morale alone could be something to consider.

Reasons for Joshua Dobbs starting in Week 9

A lot of Cardinals fans have had this thinking over recent weeks:

Would it really be that bad to have rookie Clayton Tune get a shot under center?

As the only other healthy quarterback option currently on the team, the suggestion is a natural one.

But is it really worth the potential of stunting Tune’s growth by throwing him into the fire against the likes of Myles Garrett in Week 9?

At 1-7, the playoffs are but a dream for Arizona, and making that kind of move could have added repercussions for the rookie down the line.

Tune stood out in training camp, but clearly didn’t do enough to win the job, leading Arizona to trade for Dobbs ahead of the regular season.

There’s also the fact that the Cardinals don’t seem in a hurry to activate Murray off the physically unable to perform list despite having the ability to do so.

Until Murray is officially activated and back starting, the options are simply limited for Arizona.

And while Dobbs will be the first one to tell you the losses and the turnovers are on him, his teammates remain in his corner.

“The energy from Josh could have been down and out,” rookie lineman Paris Johnson Jr. said postgame. “But not at all. … I told him after the game, ‘Despite of everything that happen, you fought, you kept going, you reminded us of who you were. You’re not a quitter.’ … When I talked to him, he was on the same page already, so it was kind of cool.”

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