The Arizona Cardinals will start rookie Clayton Tune on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the team announced, and a decision won't be made until late next week on whether Kyler Murray will start in Week 10 at home against the Atlanta Falcons, a source tells CBS Sports.
The Cardinals designated Murray from the physically unable to perform list on Oct. 18, giving him three weeks to ramp up for the active roster. He's practiced with the team each week since then, and the Cardinals have until next week to activate him to the 53-man roster.
Sources have indicated the Cardinals plan on Murray to play this year, so an activation is nearly assured. Arizona could still bring him to the 53-man roster and make him inactive next week if the Cardinals deem he's still not 100% ready for game action.
The 1-7 Cardinals had planned for Murray to return to the field as early as late October, CBS Sports reported at the start of the season. His return from a December ACL tear has been on track for months.
Joshua Dobbs led the Cardinals in Murray's absence until Arizona dealt him to Minnesota earlier this week just before the trade deadline. He completed 63% of his passes with just eight touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games.
Arizona turned to Tune this week. The rookie out of Houston is a fifth-round pick, and this may be the best opportunity for the Cardinals to see what they have in the rookie before Murray returns to the field.
Many around the league expected Arizona to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year, but through the first three games the rebuilding Cardinals challenged that theory. They lost tight games to the Commanders and Giants, then pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season by defeating Dallas 28-16 at home.
But since that Week 3 win, the Cardinals have struggled. The offense scored more than 20 points just once in the five games since.
Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract in 2021, and his return from injury will be a determining factor in the direction of the franchise after this season. Murray is set to count $51.8 million against the cap next year in his age 27 season, and the Cardinals hold two first-round picks in the 2024 draft.
