Kyler Murray will miss at least the first four games of the NFL season as he works his way back from a torn ACL, but Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is not yet announcing who will start in Murray’s place. Apparently there is strategy behind that.
The Cardinals on Monday cut veteran quarterback Colt McCoy. The other two quarterbacks who are expected to be on the roster when the season begins are Joshua Dobbs, whom Arizona acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last week, and rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune.
Gannon is going to wait to name a starter for the Cardinals’ Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders. He told reporters on Monday that he believes that will give his team a “competitive advantage.”
“I’m not going to name a starter because I think it’s a competitive advantage for us going to Washington, but we will know who the starter is,” Gannon said, via Nick Shook of NFL.com.
Gannon also indicated that he has not made a final decision yet.
“I think we have a plan in place, but I want to see them both play football still,” he said. “This week we got some work and then the following week we got some work, but I feel good where we’re at.”
If Gannon needs more time to decide on a starter, that is one thing. What really struck fans as humorous is that he thinks he will gain a competitive advantage by not telling the Commanders whether they will be facing Dobbs or a rookie. We highly doubt Ron Rivera is going to lose any sleep over that.
One thing is for certain — the Cardinals need Murray back as quickly as possible. The former No. 1 overall pick said this summer that he is excited about an important change the team made, but that won’t matter if he’s on the sideline.
