With Kyler Murray sidelined for preseason games, Cardinals QB2 battle heats up between Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune

Arizona Cardinals fans know that quarterback Kyler Murray, who turns 27 on August 7, is their QB1.  Coach Jonathan Gannon is holding him out of all preseason games because he believes he can be prepared for Week 1 without playing in them.

A benefit of sidelining Murray will be to allow the "healthy competition" between Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune to play out for the QB2 position.

Ridder, 24, is the younger of the two quarterbacks but the most experienced.  Drafted 74th in the 2022 NFL Draft, he spent the last two seasons in Atlanta where he started in 17 games and has an 8-9 record.  Ridder has completed 322 passes in his NFL career. Tune was drafted by the Cardinals in 2023 with the 139th overall pick. He has completed 12 NFL passes.

Experience would seemingly render Ridder the QB2 designation, but a final decision is yet to be made.  Gannon is not tipping his hand and has maintained that both are doing "a good job" in camp.