Will Desmond Ridder Or Clayton Tune Backup Kyler Murray? 2024 Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Preview

uh we were in Indianapolis for the NFL combine earlier this year had a chance to outside of our coverage uh with the media inside uh Lucas Oil and Company we were able to connect with um some people close to the scene Cardinal coaches alike one of the biggest takeaways we got how much this team likes Clayton ton how much they feel like Clayton tune has a bright future bow with this team despite kind of being sacrificed to the Cleveland Browns took one for the team but again like in the Battle of Clayton ton versus col McCoy like Clayton ton stuck on the roster stuck on the roster Colt McCoy hasn't played an NFL game since so now we look at this off season however and the Cardinals they did bring in some competition they traded away Rond Del Moore straight up the rare tra player for player trade for Desmond Ritter the former starter in Atlanta and I I will be the first to admit based on the comments that I heard I thought Clayton TB was going to be the guy for qb2 now we look at Ritter coming with his pedigree of at least starts in the NFL he may not have the arm strength of Clayton ton but now you look at that quarterback room as a whole how do you see this transpiring over the preseason yeah I mean I'll start by saying uh and echoing what you said what we've heard from this organization as far as Intel goes that there and it has it has a waiver there's been belief in Clayton tun since they select him in the fifth round at Houston and it hasn't it hasn't wavered sense like they like his make makeup that's what we've continually heard they love his makeup they think that he's a guy that can be a backup in this league for 10 Seasons or more and you know you certainly didn't see that on full display and an historically bad performance and his lone opportunity in the 2023 season against the Cleveland Browns as he said he was a bit of a sacrificial lamb in that game and a tip of the cap for Clayton tunin playing that role as like the final you know gasp to get to Kyler Murray after they traded away Joshua dos but you know they maintained their belief in Clayton tun he held the backup quarterback position once Kyler Murray came back they didn't just say hey we got to figure this out now that Kyler's back and we saw what ton looks like you know on the field that was he was getting beat up and throwing two picks against the Browns defense they went in the off season and and they like Clayton ton and and felt like he can make a jump from year one to year two but with Monty Austin for who's in a different position and he's always looking to improve this roster the opportunity presented itself where Atlanta goes out and they throw the bag at kurk cousins and then you know we didn't know they were going to trade for for or select Michael pennick in the top 10 but Desmond Ritter becomes available and it's only going to cost him somebody who wasn't going to be really a part of this team going forward and Rond Del Moore so now you got competition in that room and I think like the people that believed in Clayton tune it's going to come down to okay what you think is possible when he projects to be to somebody who I think might already be there as a serviceable backup in Desmond Ritter yeah I agree like I I feel like Desmond Ritter to me if you had to start one game you're G to play the guy with the experience you're gonna play the guy that has seen it all done it all at least in a short period of time as a presumed starter for the Atlanta Falcons going into last year like he did get replaced Taylor hinek I mean Desir just not a good player last year well he's your guy to go and keep the Train on the tracks against the San Francisco against the Chicago or a Green Bay in a oneoff game if Kyler Murray needs a week that's who you're going to go with as a developmental guy as somebody that you've drafted that you put time in that has upside that can be the future back up indefinitely because I know Desmond Ritter I think he's still on his rookie contract he's probably going to be a free agent after this year I'd have to double check like Clayton tune they want Clayton a part of this regime as long as they can keep him assuming he continues to ascend and get better whereas I I feel like Desmond Ritter is kind of the perfect gaps Band-Aid where you can say we like Clayton tune but in the same realm we're trying to be a postseason team and as much as I like Clayton T nobody can say yeah he can he can take care of it behind Kyler Murray we can give him an opportunity to go out and try to win a game with his arm with his legs Colt McCoy s like he did for Cliff kingsb a couple years ago it's just that's not winning football yet we need to be able to see Clayton t a little bit more because I'll tell you right now if Clayton toun goes out there and lights it up in the preseason Desmond Ritter's just okay like then it's an easy decision hell they may even opt to to release Desmond Ritter but I think Desmond Ritter is efficient enough in the intermediate passing game doesn't have a great arm but somebody that has Mobility like say what you want about Desmond Ritter his game Compares more to what Kyler Murray does I know it's a greater reach than than some but Clayton tune is that caliber of athlete like Desmond Ritter high-end athlete at the Collegiate level was part of that undefeated Cincinnati team has played in a bunch of big games like on paper you can definitely see what they were going for when they shipped Ron Delmore out it's like oh we get a guy who's great in the locker room winning pedigree arms okay not great but certainly can make intermediate throws and has Mobility it's the perfect compliment to Clayton to who does everything else well who has the big arm Talent who hasn't played a bunch of Big Time football so I like the Dynamics of this room this room to me is much more appealing to whatever the hell we were force-fed last year and the year before with the Jeff Driscoll and the Colt McCoys and the Joshua dobs this this group to me there's tremendous amount of upside past Kyler Marie which is we haven't been able to say that it's gonna be key for Clayton tun to show that he has uh narrowed that gap between being a fifth round rookie in 2023 and and that he can be a VI able backup like statistics say that Desmond Ritter could be a viable backup like if you think I mean Drew ping looked like a miracle worker with Joshua dubs who was basically out of this league and was able to put him in a position to to win football games he didn't win a lot he won one but he put that the offense in in in spots at times to to win games uh but Desman Ritter is eight n as a starter in this league yeah Desmond Ritter has uh as far as his TD the int ratio it's 14 to well right now so like he he's proven at least at the NFL level that he can be serviceable in that spot Clayton ton like that the same can't be said so like if if you're looking and you're looking for a fallback plan for Kyler Murray in 2024 like as it stands right now the edge belongs to Ritter but with the opportunity and the belief and it's in the facility in Tampe and Clayton tune he's got to prove it and uh it's exciting I think that this is Johnny going to be one of the better position battles in training camp here for the Cardinals yeah we also have to be fair like Desmond rder played in collectively what is the worst division in the NFL and yes he had a bad head co bad head coach in Atlanta Arthur Smith who was a big time buffoon but he was playing against the Carolinas he was playing against you know this the Saints and you know I like Tampa well enough but like you got six games against a bunch of cupcakes historically and so like this different different aspect playing NFC West football is Big Boy football in this division so I know we know based on what they've told us people around the team Clayton tune if he doesn't fall on his face he's super high level High character guy they want him around the team and listen like say what you want go back and watch the tape from last year on this show he looked infinitely better than Co McCoy and I'm hoping that he has had an opportunity over the last calendar year to build off of that because he got a lot of reps he was running with the ones half the time during the preseason had no business doing that based on the you know the expectation of a quarterback that's why they traded for Joshua dobs but that's that experience I hope he has an opportunity to build off of because that that doesn't happen to most fifth rounders straight out of college out of Houston of all plac yeah uh man what a difference year makes you had Kyler Murray on the Shelf rehabbing his knee your quarterback room was was uh Colt McCoy who we have heard from recently and Donnie drwan uh packaged it very well and where he had a conversation McCoy did basically saying that his arm never responded from a procedure he had couldn't throw the football and you know that that was your QB W for the bulk of training camp in preseason for his outright release and uh and then Clayton tune just by being available and since they drafted him and and doing everything that was asked of him since you know rookie mini camp on uh was like kind of your default guy they wanted him though to take grasp of of the the quarter back two role he did that admirably throughout last season now now it's time for him to prove himself at this level uh and the competition is there do we want to get uh as we're doing a quarterback room preview uh you know and and we could be talking to some people just checking in on that quarterback battle or just taking a glimpse in the C quarterback room qb1 like and what are our expectations are for Kyler Murray in 2024 I mean we talk about it seemly every show but repeating Kyle Murray plays a full season Kyler Murray's a postseason quarterback more often than not he's making a pro bowl he's giving up bloated Big Time statistics for this franchise like I don't have to make a case for that I've seen it I've seen it with my own eyes every year he's been healthy when he's not healthy and he misses time this team loses games and they're not productive offensively he came back last year and they were almost a 500 team with one of the worst rosters in the NFL collectively and so now it's like give them all offseason with Drew psin no limitations off that ACL the perfect amount of time to dip his toe in at the end of 2023 I mean like I think Kyler Murray and I can't predict if somebody's gonna stay healthy all I know is if he's on the field this year he is putting up historic numbers for the Arizona Cardinal football franchise the the Cardinal football franchise really dating back to their time in St Louis he is efficient I think he's gonna have somewhere in the vicinity of like 68% completion I think he's going to reach 30 passing touchdowns adding a couple on the ground and the Cardinals are going to be a viable team through December and January whatever that looks like I think Kyler Murray has a career year for this tap seeing some great uh Next Level you know statistics analytics we harped on the guy in Warren sharp last year because for his atrocious offensive line rankings but came out with a percentage of third down incompletions which were due to receiver error last year and first in that group was Joe burrow 28% of incompletion on third down were due to a wide receiver issue air wrong route run whatever it may be but it wasn't really on the fault of the quarterback Kyler Murray was next in line there at 27% 27% of his incompletions on third down where they couldn't move the change was due to wide receiver air you also couple in where 28% of Kyler Murray's incompletions from his time last year uh only 28% of them were due to his own inaccuracies yeah so you're looking at a a a revamped playmaking group where you know the huge addition of Marvin Harrison Jr the developed rapport with Michael Wilson who now most Publications are playing catchup on and realizing he's going to be a breakout candidate Greg dorch who was probably the only reliable guy during all those you know where we saw those poor statistics you know on any down in in you know where the wide receiver fell group fell short last year and then Trey McBride like and then Kyler Murray just having a a better rapport with everybody and more I guess comfort in this system I think that you're just going to see those numbers decrease and and see a more accurate in Rhythm passer in Kyler Murray in 2024