Why Cardinals Will 'Very Likely' Start Josh Dobbs vs. Commanders
The Washington Commanders are set to face the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday's season opener at FedEx Field. However, the Commanders' opponent has neglected to reveal whether it will start Josh Dobbs or Clayton Tune under center.
However, All Cardinals publisher Donnie Druin explained to me why Dobbs is the likely starter over Tune.
"It's very likely going to be Josh Dobbs," Druin said. "The Cardinals nearly signed him in free agency before he opted to land with the Cleveland Browns, and their recent trade for him suggests they've had their eye on him. I think they vastly overrated Colt McCoy's arm in the offseason and that came to an ugly fruition during training camp. The biggest advantage Dobbs has over fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune is years of experience in the NFL and knowledge of the playbook thanks to prior experience with OC Drew Petzing back in Cleveland. Simply put, if Arizona was really sold on Tune to play in Week 1, they would have named him the starter over McCoy and not acquired Dobbs."
Dobbs, 28, played the 2022 season with the Browns and was coached by Drew Petzing, who joined new head coach Jonathan Gannon's staff this offseason as the offensive coordinator. He was cut in November and eventually landed with the Tennessee Titans, starting the team's last two games of the season.
In those starts, Dobbs completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
If Arizona opts not to start Dobbs, it'll be the professional debut for Tune, who completed 34 of 59 passes (57.6 percent) for 353 yards, one touchdown and an interception during the preseason.