Josh Dobbs may not be Cardinals QB by Week 9 against Browns

The fascination with backup quarterbacks is not unique to the Cleveland Browns fanbase but, given the poor play at the position for over three decades, the fans have perfected it.

The addition of QB Deshaun Watson was supposed to solve all of that. A young franchise quarterback who was proven to be a top-five to ten player at his position. No longer was it hope, it was reality.

Instead, the 2023 season has seen fans pine for Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett and even Josh Dobbs.

In reality, all three of those quarterbacks are average at best. Given the play of Watson, PJ Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, average would be nice but probably not change the end results of the season for Cleveland.

Dobbs in particular has been argued and discussed since GM Andrew Berry traded him away for a fifth-round pick to give DTR the backup spot and save a little cap space. Dobbs stepped in as the Arizona Cardinals starter quickly.

Despite a 1-6 record as a starter, a 62% completion percentage and six touchdowns to three interceptions, Dobbs’ reputation among Browns fans has skyrocketed. With the Cardinals on the team’s schedule, a potential meltdown of reactions was possible if Dobbs led an upset back in Cleveland in Week 9.

Now, it looks as if Kyler Murray, not Dobbs, will be ready for next week’s game. Murray returned to practice in Week 8:

Not only would this end the Dobbs storyline but Murray has been a much better quarterback in his career. If he is healthy, Murray will make Arizona much more dangerous than originally thought when looking at the Browns schedule.

The Cardinals are next week’s problem but something to take note of after the Seattle Seahawks game.

How much would the return of Kyler Murray change your expectations in Week 9?