Cardinals' Clayton Tune: Uninspiring rookie season
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Tune completed 12 of 21 passes for 62 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions and had eight carries for 30 yards and one touchdown in seven games during the 2023 season.
In the lone start of his rookie season Week 9, the 2023 fifth-round pick led the Cardinals to their lowest offensive output (58 net yards) in any game of the campaign. In essence, Tune bridged the gap between Joshua Dobbs starting the first eight contests and Kyler Murray getting the rest of the nods after the latter completed his recovery from a torn ACL. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Tune got a handful of short-yardage reps in place of the smaller Murray in the second half of the year, but with Murray's five-year extension officially kicking in for 2024, the former is unlikely to be any higher than No. 2 on Arizona's QB depth chart next season.
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Cardinals' Clayton Tune: Moving back to backup role
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Tune will return to a backup role after Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed Friday that Kyler Murray (knee) will start Sunday's game against the Falcons, Donnie Druin of SI.com reports.
Gannon had already hinted Monday that Murray was tracking toward the Week 10 start, but the Cardinals didn't make Murray's return to the lineup official until they had a chance to evaluate him in practices this week. With his surgically-repaired knee evidently checking out fine, Murray should remain atop the depth chart the rest of the way, even while the 1-8 Cardinals play out the string on a losing season. After Arizona traded Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota on Oct. 31, Tune stepped in to make his first NFL start Week 9 but struggled mightily in a 27-0 loss to the Browns, completing 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards and two interceptions while adding 28 yards on the ground and also losing a fumble.
Tune completed 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Cardinals' 27-0 loss to the Browns on Sunday. He also rushed five times for 28 yards and lost a fumble.
The results were about what was to be expected when throwing a rookie quarterback out for his first start against an aggressive Browns defense, with Tune often looking out of sorts while taking a whopping seven sacks. The 2023 fifth-round pick averaged just 2.9 yards per attempt and saw his first pick lead to a Cleveland touchdown and his second result in a field-goal attempt that was missed. Tune's stint under center is likely to be a one-and-done scenario unless the Cardinals opt to let Kyler Murray's (knee) 21-day practice window close this upcoming week without activating him.
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Cardinals' Clayton Tune: Expected to open as No. 2 QB
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Tune is in line to be the Cardinals' No. 2 quarterback during Sunday's season opener in Washington, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
If Rapoport's report is accurate, newcomer Joshua Dobbs will get the first opportunity to lead Arizona's offense for the recovering Kyler Murray, who is continuing his recovery from a torn ACL on the reserve/PUP list as the season gets underway. Dobbs joined the team on Aug. 24 via trade with the Browns, and despite the lack of time to acclimate to the Cardinals offense, he seems as if he'll be operating ahead of Tune, a rookie fifth-round pick. With Murray out for at least the first four games, though, Tune could make his pro debut at some point if Dobbs struggles or needs to miss time for any reason.
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Cardinals' Clayton Tune: Opportunity knocks
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Tune and Joshua Dobbs are Arizona's top options to start Week 1 versus the Commanders following the team's release of Colt McCoy, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Tune, a rookie fifth-round pick, may be likelier to open the season as Dobbs' backup, though he has benefited from extensive preseason reps. McCoy's release coincides with the news that Kyler Murray (knee) is expected to begin the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, meaning the Cardinals will need either Dobbs or Tune, if not a combination of the two, to hold down the fort under center for at least the first four weeks of the year. The team also has David Blough and Jeff Driskel (calf) on the roster, although further cuts could be forthcoming.
