The Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback situation looks settled. They have their unquestioned starter and franchise guy in Kyler Murray. They traded for Desmond Ridder, who with 17 career NFL starts with a record of 8-9, who should be their backup. They have second-year pro Clayton Tune as their developmental guy, a player the coaching staff seems to like.
Should they pull the trigger on a quarterback this year in the draft?
ESPN’s Jordan Reid projects they will in the seventh round, selecting Florida State’s Jordan Travis.
With 11 picks in this year’s draft, the Cardinals could make big steps forward in their rebuilding stages at the draft. General manager Monti Ossenfort has already set a foundation around quarterback Kyler Murray, who returned to form last season after a torn ACL in 2022. He is still the unquestioned starter, but that doesn’t mean the Cardinals shouldn’t continue to address every position on the roster — even QB.
Travis is coming off his own injury, as his 2023 season came to an end after suffering a broken leg in November. He expects to be ready for camp, though, and when healthy, Travis is a true playmaker. With 20 TD passes and two interceptions in 2023, Travis can make plays happen inside and outside the pocket, really excelling when forced to make plays off-platform. But he has an average arm and can rely on that ability outside of structure too often.
There is 100% no reason to draft a quarterback unless they are 100% sold that Tune is not worth a roster spot or even a practice squad spot. I was on the record as saying I thought drafting Tune was a waste.
Seventh-round picks are always a toss-up at best for being a player who can contribute, but wouldn’t it be better to find an athletic special teams player rather than letting Tune, who was a solid Day 3 type prospect in terms of potential because of his size, experience, ability and athleticism.
Unless the coaches don’t think Tune has anything to offer better than he gave them last year, just ignore the quarterback position in the draft completely.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
