Arizona Cardinals: What makes David Blough so intriguing?
By Sion Fawkes
While David Blough will never be an NFL starting quarterback, he could be in position to be the long-term backup for the Arizona Cardinals.
When you look at David Blough, you see a whole lot of nothing. He is about six feet, one inch tall, barely over 200 pounds, and he is primarily a pocket passer. And to be honest, his arm strength and accuracy are ticky-tacky.
Overall, there is nothing too intriguing on the surface. But Blough had served in a backup/third string role for three straight seasons (2019 to 2021) in Detroit, meaning the quarterback has at least shown he is capable of sticking around in the NFL.
And he could fulfill that role for Kyler Murray next season with a strong showing this week and perhaps in Week 18, depending on who head coach Kliff Kingsbury decides to start. So why do I like David Blough so much? There are a couple of reasons.
David Blough can be a long-term backup for the Arizona Cardinals
For one, he has shown he can put up decent performances, even with a bad football team. In his NFL debut, Blough tossed for 280 yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and he had an 87.4 quarterback rating.
His final four outings weren’t good, but when you look at who he was forced to throw the ball to, you might see why that was the case. It was a year where just about everyone got hurt in Detroit, but in the desert, Blough will at least have guys like Marquise Brown and Greg Dortch at wideout, plus James Conner running the football. He may have DeAndre Hopkins, but his status is currently questionable.
That said, Blough isn’t the quarterback who is going to elevate anyone’s talent. And he needs at least a halfway-decent supporting cast to perform well. But while in Detroit, the journeyman backup has shown that, even with marginal talent, he is capable of putting up a solid outing or two.
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Now that he is starting in his first game since 2019, an older, more experienced Blough could be on the cusp of landing a permanent backup gig in the NFL. And it’s why I’m excited to see what he can do this weekend.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)
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