Browns vs Cardinals: Arizona makes early QB decision for Week 9

Despite being off the injured list, Kyler Murray will not return against Cleveland

While the Cleveland Browns fly back home and lick their wounds, and the fanbase figures out who they are most upset with over the loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL season moves on.

The NFL trade deadline is the next stop for the league as a whole. While there may be rumors swirling Monday and Tuesday, it could be a quiet deadline.

For the Browns, after the deadline, the Arizona Cardinals are up next on the schedule. A team that was expected to tank, after QB Kyler Murray’s injury last year and trading out of the #3 overall pick this year, the Cardinals have been a scrappy bunch with QB Josh Dobbs at the helm.

Dobbs was acquired by Arizona in a trade with Cleveland just before the season started. The long-time practice squad quarterback got a chance to play in important games for the Tennessee Titans at the end of 2022 before re-sing with the Browns later in free agency.

The Cardinals are 1-7 entering the Week 9 game in Cleveland with Dobbs completing 62% of his passes for just over 1,500 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.

Murray’s return from injury led to the expectation that he, not Dobbs, would start against the Browns. That was quickly refuted after Arizona’s loss in Week 8:

Given the Cardinals record and building for the future, making sure the highly-paid Murray is completely healthy before putting him on the field makes the most sense. It also gives Browns fans a chance to argue whether GM Andrew Berry should have traded away Dobbs for a fifth-round selection despite rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson outplaying him in preseason.

Are you glad it is Dobbs over Murray or worried about “revenge” factor for the Cardinals start QB? (No we don’t think Dobbs has anything to want revenge for, obviously, but the word just fits)

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