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While fans of the Arizona Cardinals this preseason have hopefully have seen the stock rise of some players, they are still wondering if star quarterback Kyler Murray will play or not in the finale before the Week 1 opener next Sunday. However, the true Cardinals quarterback battle of the backup spot between Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder could be decided as the former will start against the Denver Broncos according to Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network.
“Some preseason QB news: In the battle for No. 2 QB behind starter Kyler Murray, #AZCardinals will start Clayton Tune in the preseason finale vs the #Broncos, with Desmond Ridder to come in after that,” Rapoport wrote on his X, formerly Twitter, account. “It’s possible, though, that the Cards keep all 3 QBs on the 53-man roster.”
Some preseason QB news: In the battle for No. 2 QB behind starter Kyler Murray, #AZCardinals will start Clayton Tune in the preseason finale vs the #Broncos, with Desmond Ridder to come in after that.
It’s possible, though, that the Cards keep all 3 QBs on the 53-man roster. pic.twitter.com/8oXc3cbzP9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2024
Despite both being young, Tune has one year of experience under Arizona while Ridder is a newcomer coming from the Atlanta Falcons where he was drafted with the 74th overall pick in 2022.
Kyler Murray “looks damn good” on the Cardinals
However, there is no battle in regards to the starting quarterback which is Murray who will look to have a completely healthy season after a myriad of injures in years prior. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke highly of Murray recently saying that “he looks damn good” according to NFL.com.
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“Physically and mentally, I mean, he looks damn good. He looks damn good,” Gannon said. “You know, 'cause you gotta think, he played really good football for us; he had never taken a snap in this offense until Atlanta (in Week 10), you know what I mean, his first game back. I mean, he had a couple weeks of practice leading up to that, but no offseason program, no training camp. No however many games we played without him. Couple weeks of practice and then, you're going, ‘Let's play football.' So, I think from a mental and physical standpoint, right now where he's at, to even when he got back last year or even where he finished last year, I think he's leaps and bounds ahead.”
Kyler Murray ready to prove it with the Cardinals
There is no doubt that Murray who has experienced accusations of character problems will be motivated to prove the doubters wrong this season and show his talents. Gannon has seen this saying that “his will to win is extremely high.”
“What I know about the guy, my relationship with him when I got his job: His will to win is extremely high,” Gannon said. “And if you detail out and lay out for him what is needed from him to improve himself, the offense and the team, he is 1,000 percent willing to do that. So, I love the guy, because he's done everything that I've asked of him and more. He's been a phenomenal leader on and off the field…”
Murray and Arizona will prepare for their regular season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 8.
