Joshua Dobbs or Clayton Tune as Arizona Cardinals' starting QB? Team has 'plan in place'

Kyler Murray will start the season by remaining on the Cardinals’ Physically Unable to Perform list and thus missing at least the first four weeks of the schedule. Veteran backup Colt McCoy, however, won’t be starting in Murray’s place.
In a surprise move on Monday, the Cardinals released McCoy, 36, with coach Jonathan Gannon saying it now will be an open competition between newly acquired Joshua Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune for the starting quarterback job.
Gannon informed McCoy of the news himself Monday morning.
“With every decision, you look at the full body of work, evaluate our guys, production goes into that and we felt like it was the best decision for the team to move forward with the guys we have in the room to help us win football games,” Gannon said in explaining the decision to release McCoy.
McCoy has reportedly been dealing with an elbow issue throughout the summer, but Gannon declined to say that the elbow was in any way responsible for Monday’s roster move, saying, “I mean, he went through all OTAs and training camp and practiced every day, so …”
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The Cardinals still owe McCoy $2.25 million in guaranteed salary despite cutting him.
Meanwhile, Gannon also indicated that Murray will remain on the PUP list, which means in addition to not being able to play for at least the first four games, he also won’t be allowed to practice during that time as he continues to rehab his way back from a torn ACL in December.
Gannon said the designation won’t affect Murray’s rehab schedule.
“It’s kind of like what he’s doing right now,” Gannon said. “He’s got a plan that’s football related and he’s got a plan that’s rehab related. Both are important, but obviously the plan that’s most important right now is his health, so when we structure his day and his week and this last month with him, we plan accordingly for that.”
In addition to releasing McCoy, the Cardinals also cut cornerback Nate Hairston and safety Sean Chandler ahead of Tuesday’s 1 p.m. (Arizona time) deadline for all NFL team to trim their rosters to the 53-man limit.
The Cardinals also announced they have placed center/guard Pat Elflein on injured reserve, which likely signals the end of his brief stay with the team.
As for the competition between Dobbs and Tune regarding the starting quarterback spot until Murray ultimately returns, Gannon said he and the team has a “plan in place.”
“But I want to see them both play football still,” he added. “This week we’ve got some work and the following week we’ve got some work but, I feel good where we’re at.”
Gannon said he will let the competition between Dobbs and Tune play out before naming a starter, but he might not even do that until the day the Cardinals open the season at Washington on Sept. 10.
“I’m not going to name a starter,” Gannon said, “because I think it’s a competitive advantage for us going to Washington, but we’ll know who the starter is.”
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The Cardinals drafted Tune out of the University of Houston this year with a fifth-round pick. They acquired Dobbs last Thursday along with a seventh-round pick in a trade with the Browns in exchange for a fifth-round selection.
Although Tune has taken most of the snaps as the primary backup since the starting of training camp, the Cardinals like what Dobbs can add to the offense and they also like the familiarity he has by working with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterbacks coach Israel Woddfork last season in Cleveland.
Dobbs, 28, began his NFL career with the Steelers in 2018, playing in six games over three seasons. He’s also spent time with the Titans and Lions in addition to playing for the Browns last season.
“It’s never easy for a new guy coming to a new team,” Gannon said, “but he’s familiar with the system, he’s familiar with Drew and Is and we feel good with where he’s at with that. He’s extremely intelligent, character is through the roof. He’s actually a guy we looked at signing in the offseason, so we kind of did a lot of work on him back then. When the transaction became available, we decided to make the move.
“He’s a mobile guy that can make throws and play in the pocket and play outside of the pocket, so that’s what we’re looking for.”
VOTE: Who should start the season as the #AZCardinals' starting quarterback after Colt McCoy's release? (Surprise move: https://t.co/7Nq9ydtoUk) @azcentral
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If Dobbs beat out Tune for the temporary starting job, it might be an unprecedented development. When was the last time you’ve heard of an NFL team open the season with a quarterback who’s never taken a single snap with the franchise in training camp or the entire preseason?
“I trust in what we’re doing is to be the best thing for the team, that’s how it would work,” Gannon said.
Gannon had no updates on the injury status of center Jon Gaines II and guard/tackle Dennis Daley, who were hurt during Saturday’s preseason finale in Minnesota.