The Arizona Cardinals plan on starting former Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs in its season opener against the Washington Commanders, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported Wednesday afternoon.
The Cardinals acquired Dobbs in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last month and the former Vol is battling with rookie Clayton Tune for Arizona’s starting job while Kyler Murray is sidelined with an injury. It’s unclear how long Murray will be out but there’s a chance it’s for the better part of the season.
While Rapoport reported Dobbs will start against Washington, he noted that Arizona is taking things on a week-by-week approach for naming its starting quarterback.
Dobbs has spent time with a number of NFL franchises during his career including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Some of the time was spent as a backup quarterback with more time spent as the practice squad signal caller. The former Tennessee standout had played very few snaps until the final two weeks of the 2022-23 season.
That’s when the Tennessee Titans acquired Dobbs and inserted him as their starting quarterback for the final two weeks of the 2023 season. Dobbs performed adequately despite a poor offensive supporting cast around him. The quarterback completed 40-of-68 passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his two games as the Titans’ starter.
The strong play helped earn Dobbs another starting opportunity in the NFL and he’s looking to make the most of it Sunday. Kickoff between the Cardinals and Commanders is at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Fox is broadcasting the game.
