- Clayton Tune
- #15
- Team ARI
- Pos QB
- Status AActive
-
Backup duty to begin season
Tune is in line to begin the 2024 season as the Cardinals' No. 2 QB behind starter Kyler Murray, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Analysis: In the midst of roster cuts this week, Arizona waived Desmond Ridder on Tuesday before signing him to the practice squad one day later. The move left Murray and Tune as the only signal-callers on the active roster, indicating their respective standings among the group. Tune, a 2023 fifth-round pick, made seven appearances (one start) last season, completing 12 of 21 passes for 62 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, rushing eight times for 30 yards and one TD and fumbling twice (one…read more
Published: Thu, Aug 29 at 2:00pm by Rotowire.com
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Gets start in preseason finale
Tune completed 12 of 18 passes for 119 yards and an interception in Sunday's 38-12 preseason loss to the Broncos.
Analysis: The 2023 fifth-round pick got the start under center, and while he was fairly efficient, Tune led the Cardinals to just one Matt Prater 50-yard field goal in his five first-half drives. Desmond Ridder took over to begin the third quarter but left the game late in the fourth after taking a hit, and he was placed in the concussion protocol. With Ridder's availability for Week 1 now in question, Tune could begin the season as Kyler Murray's top backup.
Published: Sun, Aug 25 at 6:20pm by Rotowire.com
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Set to start Sunday
Tune is slated to start Sunday's preseason finale against the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: With Kyler Murray not in line to see any exhibition action, Tune will get the starting nod Sunday and will be followed by Desmond Ridder. Tune and Ridder remain in contention to work as Murray's top backup, though Rapoport suggests that the Cardinals could elect to keep all three QB's on their initial 53-man roster.
Published: Thu, Aug 22 at 9:24am by Rotowire.com
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Starts exhibition game
Tune completed eight of his 10 pass attempts for 79 yards while rushing twice for 15 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's preseason loss to the Colts.
Analysis: Tune started under center in place of Kyler Murray (coach's decision) and produced strong results for the second week in a row. The sophomore backup wound up scoring his team's only touchdown with his legs before turning the keys over to fellow backup Desmond Ridder in the second half. Tune outperformed the latter for the second week running, despite flipping roles (and strength of opposing defenses) on both occasions. Perhaps Tune has made a case to leap the slightly more experienced Ridder in…read more
Published: Sat, Aug 17 at 11:16pm by Rotowire.com
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Uninspiring rookie season
Tune completed 12 of 21 passes for 62 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions and had eight carries for 30 yards and one touchdown in seven games during the 2023 season.
Analysis: In the lone start of his rookie season Week 9, the 2023 fifth-round pick led the Cardinals to their lowest offensive output (58 net yards) in any game of the campaign. In essence, Tune bridged the gap between Joshua Dobbs starting the first eight contests and Kyler Murray getting the rest of the nods after the latter completed his recovery from a torn ACL. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Tune got a handful of short-yardage reps in place of the smaller Murray in the second half of the year, but with…read more
Published: Thu, Feb 8 at 8:55pm by Rotowire.com
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Moving back to backup role
Tune will return to a backup role after Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed Friday that Kyler Murray (knee) will start Sunday's game against the Falcons, Donnie Druin of SI.com reports.
Analysis: Gannon had already hinted Monday that Murray was tracking toward the Week 10 start, but the Cardinals didn't make Murray's return to the lineup official until they had a chance to evaluate him in practices this week. With his surgically-repaired knee evidently checking out fine, Murray should remain atop the depth chart the rest of the way, even while the 1-8 Cardinals play out the string on a losing season. After Arizona traded Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota on Oct. 31, Tune stepped in to make his…read more
Published: Fri, Nov 10 at 9:51am by Rotowire.com
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Ragged starting debut Sunday
Tune completed 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Cardinals' 27-0 loss to the Browns on Sunday. He also rushed five times for 28 yards and lost a fumble.
Analysis: The results were about what was to be expected when throwing a rookie quarterback out for his first start against an aggressive Browns defense, with Tune often looking out of sorts while taking a whopping seven sacks. The 2023 fifth-round pick averaged just 2.9 yards per attempt and saw his first pick lead to a Cleveland touchdown and his second result in a field-goal attempt that was missed. Tune's stint under center is likely to be a one-and-done scenario unless the Cardinals opt to let Kyler…read more
Published: Sun, Nov 5 at 2:57pm by Rotowire.com
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Ready for first start
Tune will start Sunday against the Browns after the Cardinals did not activate Kyler Murray (knee) off the reserve/PUP list Saturday.
Analysis: It seems as if the Cardinals are playing it safe with the status of their franchise quarterback, as Murray could eventually start in Week 10 against the Falcons. As a result, Tune will make his first career start against the fearsome Browns defense Sunday. The rookie is considered an athletic prospect (4.64 40-yard dash) and was a multi-year starter in college, but he's a raw passer and didn't exactly light up the scoreboard in a few preseason opportunities. That the Cardinals opted to start…read more
Published: Sat, Nov 4 at 1:33pm by Rotowire.com
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Decision pending on Week 9 start
Coach Jonathan Gannon said Friday that he'll make a decision in the next 24 hours regarding who among Kyler Murray (knee) or Tune will start Sunday's game at Cleveland, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Analysis: Murray has put together back-to-back weeks of full practices, but as opposed to last week when Arizona deemed him doubtful to play, he's listed as questionable this time around. The team must activate Murray from the reserve/PUP list by Saturday afternoon in order for him to have a chance for his first game action since tearing the ACL in his right knee Dec. 12 of last season. If Murray isn't cleared to play Sunday -- a fact we will know by Saturday afternoon -- Tune will be under center for…read more
Published: Fri, Nov 3 at 4:36pm by Rotowire.com
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May start in Week 9
Coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday that Tune or Kyler Murray (knee) will be the Cardinals' starting quarterback Sunday at Cleveland, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Following Sunday's 31-24 loss the Ravens, Gannon noted to Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com that Joshua Dobbs would be the team's starter again Week 9, but a video session of that contest has caused him to change his tune, per Urban. Tune is a rookie fifth-round pick and has made just one cameo this season -- Week 7 at Seattle -- in which he completed his only pass for four yards, but he was fairly prolific his final two campaigns at Houston, throwing for 7,610 yards and 70 touchdowns in 27…read more
Published: Mon, Oct 30 at 3:13pm by Rotowire.com
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Handling backup role, as expected
Tune took reps with the Cardinals' second-team offense in warmups, confirming he'll serve as the backup to starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs in Sunday's season opener in Washington, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.
Analysis: Though Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon never announced a Week 1 starter at quarterback, all signs pointed to Tune, a rookie fifth-round pick out of Houston, beginning his career as Dobbs' understudy. Despite entering his seventh NFL season, Dobbs only has two career starts and eight appearances to his name, so he likely won't have much security atop the depth chart. As such, Tune could get the opportunity to play at some point this season, especially if Kyler Murray's (knee) return from the…read more
Published: Sun, Sep 10 at 9:48am by Rotowire.com
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Expected to open as No. 2 QB
Tune is in line to be the Cardinals' No. 2 quarterback during Sunday's season opener in Washington, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: If Rapoport's report is accurate, newcomer Joshua Dobbs will get the first opportunity to lead Arizona's offense for the recovering Kyler Murray, who is continuing his recovery from a torn ACL on the reserve/PUP list as the season gets underway. Dobbs joined the team on Aug. 24 via trade with the Browns, and despite the lack of time to acclimate to the Cardinals offense, he seems as if he'll be operating ahead of Tune, a rookie fifth-round pick. With Murray out for at least the first four…read more
Published: Wed, Sep 6 at 12:25pm by Rotowire.com
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Opportunity knocks
Tune and Joshua Dobbs are Arizona's top options to start Week 1 versus the Commanders following the team's release of Colt McCoy, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Tune, a rookie fifth-round pick, may be likelier to open the season as Dobbs' backup, though he has benefited from extensive preseason reps. McCoy's release coincides with the news that Kyler Murray (knee) is expected to begin the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, meaning the Cardinals will need either Dobbs or Tune, if not a combination of the two, to hold down the fort under center for at least the first four weeks of the year. The team also has David Blough and Jeff Driskel (calf) on…read more
Published: Mon, Aug 28 at 12:27pm by Rotowire.com
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Throws for 85 yards Saturday
Tune completed nine of 12 passes for 85 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions during Saturday's 18-17 preseason win at Minnesota.
Analysis: Tune had a rocky start, losing a fumble on his first dropback that the Vikings turned into a touchdown one play later, but he settled in nicely thereafter, leading three more drives that ended in a successful field goal, a punt and a missed FGA. Prior to the Cardinals trading for Joshua Dobbs this week, Tune seemingly was in the mix with veteran Colt McCoy to be the team's Week 1 starting quarterback due to Kyler Murray's ongoing recovery from a torn ACL suffered last December. After Saturday's…read more
Published: Sat, Aug 26 at 2:44pm by Rotowire.com
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No TDs in second exhibition
Tune completed 12 of 24 passes for 133 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed six times for 35 yards during Saturday's 38-10 preseason loss to Kansas City.
Analysis: After Colt McCoy handled the Cardinals' first three drives of the contest, Tune took over the offense and logged almost two full quarters of work before yielding to David Blough. The current breakdown of Arizona's QB room is a result of Kyler Murray's ongoing recovery from last December's torn ACL and Jeff Driskel sitting out with a calf strain. Tune hasn't exactly been accurate (53.2 percent) or productive (5.7 yards per attempt) through two exhibitions, but the rookie fifth-rounder seems…read more
Published: Mon, Aug 21 at 6:29pm by Rotowire.com
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Tosses TD in pro debut
Tune completed 13 of 23 passes for 135 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Friday's 18-17 preseason win versus the Broncos.
Analysis: After Colt McCoy got the first chance to lead the Cardinals offense in place of the recovering Kyler Murray (knee), Tune entered on the team's second possession and took the next eight drives, including a kneel-down right before halftime. Tune finally got Arizona on the board with back-to-back scores (a field goal and a TD connection with WR Kaden Davis) on his last two possessions. Tune likely will continue to get extended run during exhibition season, with his next opportunity coming…read more
Published: Sat, Aug 12 at 9:23pm by Rotowire.com
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Runs second-team offense
Tune ran Arizona's second-team offense in Thursday's practice after Colt McCoy worked with the first team, Jess Root of USA Today Cards Wire reports.
Analysis: With Kyler Murray's (knee) return timetable uncertain, Tune could be poised to open his NFL career as the backup to McCoy. The rookie fifth-round pick out of Houston will need to hold off David Blough and Jeff Driskel in the competition to claim the third spot on the quarterback depth chart behind Murray and McCoy.
Published: Fri, Jul 28 at 9:26am by Rotowire.com
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