Chances of rookie quarterback starting for Arizona Cardinals are increasing

Rookie Clayton Tune could take the reigns at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals until starter Kyler Murray is ready to play,

A whole lot of eyebrows were raised last month when Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort used a fifth-round draft pick on a quarterback. Kyler Murray, the two-time Pro Bowler who's injured at the present time, agreed to a $230.5 million contract extension less than a year ago. Why then would the Cards add a youngster to the position when it appears that the organization has hitched it's wagon to the 25-year-old Murray?

Recent circumstances would indicate that the selection of former University of Houston signal-caller Clayton Tune may have been an intelligent move. According to reports, veteran passer Colt McCoy may not be healthy enough to start for Arizona when the team opens up against the Washington Commanders on September 10th. It's been presumed all along that the 36-year-old would be under center for the Redbirds while Murray is sidelined, but McCoy's uncertain health could prevent that from happening.

If both Murray and McCoy are unable to go, there's a fairly-good possibility that the Cardinals could turn to Tune to lead the offense. The other quarterbacks on the roster, Jeff Driskel and David Blough, are nothing to get excited about. In fact, the pair of journeyman have combined to post an ugly 1-16 record as NFL starters.

Plenty of Arizona Cardinals fans would love to see Clayton Tune get some playing time in 2023

Tune, on the other hand, has a large contingent of Cards fans clamoring to see what the 24-year-old can do. Normally, not much would be expected out of a 139th-overall selection. However, many members of the "Red Sea" feel that Tune can follow in the footsteps of Brock Purdy, the 2022 draft's "Mr. Irrelevant" who found success as a first-year pro last fall.

The Texas native caused quite a stir when he told reporters back in May that he feels he is the "best quarterback in this class". Many Arizona followers are getting sick of Murray's act, and would love nothing more than to see Tune being handed an opportunity to back up that statement during the upcoming campaign.

If the choices are down to Tune, Driskel, and Blough for the Cardinals, the decision should be a no-brainer. It would make much more sense for the coaching staff to see what the confident rookie can bring to the table. As far-fetched as it may seem, a quarterback controversy featuring Murray and Tune would make things much more interesting for "Big Red" enthusiasts in 2023.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)