Commanders preparing for both Cardinals QBs ahead of Week 1

The Commanders may have an idea about who will start, but they are preparing both Arizona QBs.

The Washington Commanders host the Arizona Cardinals Sunday from FedEx Field to kick off the 2023 season. And there is still some uncertainty about who will play quarterback for the Cardinals.

Will it be recently acquired journeyman Joshua Dobbs or fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune? Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon has refused to say publicly, but the news leaked that the Cardinals planned to start Dobbs.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said he understood what the Cardinals were doing this week. As a coach, you are always looking for a competitive advantage. Gannon doesn’t owe it to Washington or fantasy owners to say who will start at quarterback.

So, how are the Commanders preparing for the Cardinals? It’s easy, said defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. You study them both.

“Study them both,” Del Rio said, per Zach Selby of commanders.com. “Study everything that we can, which includes Cleveland, Philadelphia, Dobbs in Tennessee. Just doing all the due diligence and work that you can leading up to an opener.”

The Cardinals are in this position because they cut presumed starter Colt McCoy during training camp. McCoy was the backup to Kyler Murray, who suffered a torn ACL late last season and is still recovering from the injury.