Last week, the Arizona Cardinals traded for quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The move signaled the team wasn’t satisfied with Colt McCoy starting the season under center against his former team, the Washington Commanders. It’s evident now that the Cardinals weren’t on board with keeping McCoy.
The Cardinals released the veteran McCoy on Monday. Sorry, there will be no revenge game for the former Washington signal-caller.
Arizona also placed its injured franchise QB Kyler Murray on the physically unable to perform list. Murray, who tore his ACL last December, must wait at least four weeks from the start of the season to be eligible to practice.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said releasing McCoy “Felt like it was in the best interest of the team.”
Who will start at QB Week 1 against the Commanders?
The Cardinals have Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune at quarterback. One will start against the Commanders. However, Gannon isn’t ready to name who it will be.
“I’m not going to name a starter because I think it’s a competitive advantage for us going to Washington,” Gannon said, per Nick Shook of NFL.com.
Dobbs has familiarity with Arizona’s offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. Petzing was the Cleveland Browns QB coach last year with Dobbs.
Dobbs has bounced around the NFL. But he seemingly won the Browns’ backup job this training camp before the Cardinals swooped in and acquired him in a trade.
Tune played well in the preseason. But is a fifth-round draft pick ready this early? Commanders quarterback, a fifth-round pick last year, spent the first 16 games on the sidelines before making his NFL debut in Week 18.
Nonetheless, the Commanders should be heavy favorites despite Howell’s inexperience.
The Cardinals may be facing a crossroads. There are doubts about Murray playing at all this season. With his massive contract extension looming, there’s speculation that Arizona is preparing to position itself to make a play for USC megastar QB Caleb Williams, moving on from Murray as a result. Williams expects to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
Cutting McCoy and handing the starting QB position to a Day 3 draft pick or a journeyman who just arrived a few days ago increased the chatter of tanking.
No revenge game for Colt McCoy
For Colt McCoy, the soon-to-be 37-year-old now hits the open market with uncertainty. He spent the past two years with the Cardinals. He was a serviceable backup, filling in for Murray during his injuries.
McCoy entered the offseason and training camp activities at the QB1. Now, he’s out of a job. In addition to Arizona, McCoy played six seasons with the Commanders, three with the Browns, and one each with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
Where he goes from here remains to be seen. Unfortunately, his opportunity to play against the team he spent the longest of his career will not come around this time.
