Clarity begins to form around Cardinals’ QB situation with Joshua Dobbs trade

TEMPE — And just like that, as mysteriously as Joshua Dobbs arrived to the Arizona Cardinals, he was gone.

Dobbs came to the desert via trade just before the season began and was shipped out Tuesday in the span of two months and eight starts.

The odd turn of events of head coach Jonathan Gannon seemingly benching Dobbs in favor of Kyler Murray or rookie Clayton Tune suddenly aren’t that odd at all following Arizona’s dealing of Dobbs and a conditional seventh-round pick — which the Cardinals could get back — to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a sixth-rounder.

“It came together over the last however many days, but just want to thank Josh for his contributions,” Gannon said Tuesday during a surprise appearance before coordinators addressed the media. “He came in, battled, he’s an ultimate pro. What he did for us and our team, we can’t thank him enough.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon took the podium to thank Joshua Dobbs after the QB was traded to the Vikings.

Quarterback decisions remain for Arizona. pic.twitter.com/mWYfNu8OpW

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 31, 2023

“Josh is excited for the opportunity to go to Minnesota and go play. We’re excited for him.”

At the end of the day, the Dobbs’ experience could very well end up being a swap of fifth- and sixth-round picks for the Cardinals. He provided Arizona with another option when Colt McCoy wasn’t getting the job done and, in the process, allowed Tune to work on his craft without Arizona having to worry about stunting his confidence with a premature start.

But with Dobbs’ regression over the past 4-5 weeks on top of Murray’s continued progress on the practice field, general manager Monti Ossenfort struck while the iron was hot, squeezing whatever else he could get out of the signal caller’s short stint in the Valley.

Arizona got largely what it wanted out of Dobbs and now turns its full attention to the future with Murray or Tune lined up to start this week.

But don’t expect offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to leave any breadcrumbs when it comes to who’s starting.

“You know I can’t answer that,” he said Tuesday.

So is it gonna be Kyler Murray or Clayton Tune under center for the #AZCardinals in Week 9?

“You know I can’t answer that,” OC Drew Petzing said Tuesday.

It was worth a shot. pic.twitter.com/5l7zj41joK

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) October 31, 2023

With both signal callers, questions remain and will continue to do so until game day.

For Murray, is he up to speed enough both mentally and physically to take the reins of the offense against a stout Cleveland Browns defense? Will he even be activated off the physically unable to perform list in time?

“He’s fired up, ready to go,” Gannon said Wednesday ahead of practice. “He did really good in the team meeting today. I put him on the spot. He was excellent.”

As for Tune, the rookie may have a better idea of the speed of the game than he did in training camp and the preseason, but has he really shown enough in the classroom and on the practice field to warrant a start?

“My goal is that everyone in that room on offense is ready to start at their position,” Petzing said Tuesday. “The quarterbacks room is no different than that. Whether it’s Kyler or Clayton or anybody else, our jobs as coaches is to make sure when they’re on the field, they are 100% ready to go.”

Buckle up for an eventful week of practice at the Tempe training facility.

Arizona Cardinals sign Jeff Driskel to practice squad

With Dobbs heading to the Midwest, the Cardinals were at a deficit when it came to signal callers.

That was until Wednesday, when the team re-signed quarterback Jeff Driskel to the practice squad, among others.

Driskel spent training camp and the preseason with the Cardinals before his release amid 53-man roster cuts. He ended up signing on with the practice squad shortly after, though was later cut on Oct. 20.

“He knows the offense. He’s ready to go,” Gannon said Wednesday.

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