The Cardinals have not yet named that Tune (I’ve been sitting on that one for months), but it’s still a done deal.
Multiple reports on Tuesday pointed to rookie Clayton Tune starting for Arizona at Cleveland on Sunday. On Saturday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reiterated that the former Tulane quarterback will get the nod against the Browns.
Tune takes the snaps even though Kyler Murray seems to be good to go. He was listed as fully participating in practice on Wednesday due to the knee condition that traces back to last year’s torn ACL. He was then removed from the report entirely on Thursday and Friday. He nevertheless received the “questionable” label for Sunday’s game.
The timing of Murray’s return has various layers and levels of factors, both football and business. As Schefter notes, coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Friday that the “organizational decision” includes G.M. Monti Ossenfort, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, Gannon, and Murray. Owner Michael Bidwill also will be “in the loop.”
The easy reaction to all of this is to say that, if Murray is ready, he should play. But with seven losses in eight games played this year, it’s not as if Murray’s return will thrust the Cardinals into contention. The season already is lost; the focus should now be 2024.
Will they keep Murray? Will they trade him? Will they slip him into bubble wrap at some point, to ensure that millions in injury guarantees don’t become fully vested?
Then there’s the question of whether they truly want to win games down the stretch. While the players on the field will never, ever try to do anything other than win, the organization’s decisions regarding which players will and won’t be on the field directly impacts the question of winning and losing.
Murray clearly gives the Cardinals their best chance to win. The longer Murray is held out even though he’s apparently good to go, the more clear it will become that business factors, from protecting Murray to getting the highest possible draft picks for 2024, are taking precedence.