Arizona Cardinals throw quarterback competition wide open with unexpected trade

25 August 2023 , 14:41

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Josh Dobbs has been traded by the Cardinals (Image: Getty)

The race to become the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback has been blown wide open after they traded a 2024 fifth-round NFL Draft pick for Cleveland Browns QB Josh Dobbs and a seventh-round pick.

Arizona is entering the season with quarterback Kyler Murray still recovering from a knee injury, which will leave Dobbs to jostle with veteran Colt McCoy for game time. Dobbs may have an advantage, though, having worked with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing at the Browns last season.

Dobbs' trade is pending a physical examination, the Cardinals have confirmed. If things go according to plan, he will be part of a six-man quarterback group alongside Murray, McCoy, Clayton Tune, David Blough, and Jeff Driskel.

"When we need to name the starters, we'll name the starters," head coach Jonathan Gannon said on picking his starting QB, with McCoy standing out so far.

"He's doing a good job. I thought he operated well. I think he's getting more and more comfortable with what we are asking him to do. He's obviously played a lot of football, but I like where his game is trending."

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Despite being just 28, Dobbs is considered an NFL veteran, having been on the books of eight different franchises since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. He spent last season at the Tennessee Titans, playing two games before being signed by the Browns in March of this year.

The Browns do not appear to be too sad over Dobbs' departure, with rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson now tasked with backing up Deshaun Watson. Thompson-Robinson, who played his college football at UCLA, has impressed Cleveland coaches during training camp. "He's making great strides," head coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday. "We're excited about his future."

Dobbs is an NFL veteran and Arizona is yet to name its starting QB (Getty)

The Cardinals have had a mixed preseason, winning their opening game before losing to the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Arizona will play one more game before the start of the 2023 NFL season; they take on the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Cardinals' campaign will then kick off on Sept. 10 against the Washington Commanders, followed by a visit from the New York Giants.

Week 2's game against the Giants will see Gannon come face-to-face with linebacker Isaiah Simmons, whom he traded for a seventh-round draft pick. in 2024 Gannon was short in his reasoning for trading Simmons, saying: “Isaiah did everything we asked of him. Moving forward, this is the best way we want to play football against other people.”

Joshua Mbu