When the Cardinals return to work on Monday they’ll immediately turn their focus to the preseason opener Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers and leave behind what often are called the dog days of training camp.
Unless you’re Kyler Murray, that is.
Murray said he’s not familiar with the phrase, but when a reporter referred to the routine of training camp he nodded his head in agreement.
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“Waking up, the same thing every day,” he said. “It’s crazy that we actually have a game next week. I haven’t played a football game in August for a while so it will be a little different.”
It won’t be a lot of reps, though. Neither Murray nor most of the Cardinals starters are expected to play more than a series or two. And when they do play, they won’t be revealing the offense you’ll see from coach Kliff Kingsbury in the regular-season opener Sept. 8 against the Detroit Lions.
“I do know it’s going to be pretty generic, pretty basic, so just get out there and get a feel for the game and let it rip a little bit,” Murray said.
Kingsbury’s desire to keep his offense under wraps – he answers “we’ll see” to almost every question about strategy or schemes – doesn’t mean there has been an information blackout early in training camp.
The eyes still see. Here are five impressions from the first portion of training camp, which wrapped up with Saturday’s Red-White practice:
Kyler Murray’s wow factor
You see it every day. The strength of the arm. The quick release. The touch, particularly on deep passes. During one practice, Murray, as he was flushed left, threw a perfectly placed deep ball to Larry Fitzgerald that flew just over the outstretched fingertips of linebacker Zeke Turner.
It was a thing of beauty.
The display has impressed observers, including Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner, who said of Murray: “I see a lot of good things right now. I see a kid that’s getting the ball out of his hands quick, which is always the first question: Do you see what you need to see to get the ball out? I’m seeing an accurate quarterback, a quarterback that has a very compact release and the ability to throw a lot of different ways. And then the thing I look for is always pacing of the football. Does everything come out 100 miles per hour or do you have the ability to move it up and down, the ability to have touch when you need to take something off it when you’re throwing checkdowns? So early on I really like what I see because I think he can check a lot of those boxes.”
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The comments – and Murray’s play – have, if anything, raised the expectation level for the rookie quarterback and the Cardinals.
“You can’t control that narrative,” Kingsbury said. “I understand that he’s the first pick and he is a dynamic talent. As a coach, you understand there will be ups and downs and he is a young player, and we are going to deal with adversity. But in today’s society, that’s what you’re going to get.”
A bit of caution is advisable: Murray has yet to be hit. He hasn’t faced a defense game-planning to stop him. The NFL is not the Big 12, something Murray acknowledged when he said, “in college, dudes would be wide open and it’d be easy.”
There’s no way of knowing whether Murray will look as good in October as he does now. But through the first 10 days of camp, the wow factor is real.
Formation hints
Kingsbury can try to shroud his offense in secrecy – on Friday, one veteran said Kingsbury told the players that if they’re asked about the offense they should respond, “Ask Kliff,” – but some things have become self-evident through the first part of camp.
Ten personnel – four wide receivers, no tight end, one running back – will be a staple of the offense. The Cardinals will mix in alignments with three wideouts, five wideouts and even occasionally two wideouts, but they’ll line up most often in four-wide-receiver sets.
One former NFL player who visited practice questioned the wisdom of going four-wide a majority of the time – he said five-man blocking schemes could expose Murray too often to the punishment of a pass rush – but acknowledged, “It will be fascinating to watch.”
As to those four wideouts …
Who’s catching the ball
The top three receivers on the depth chart seem clear: Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and rookie KeeSean Johnson, who has been the talk of training camp. Let’s throw in, too, running back David Johnson; Kingsbury wants to employ Johnson as coach Bruce Arians did in 2016 when Johnson caught 80 passes.
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After that, it gets a bit murky.
Rookie Andy Isabella has had his moments in camp – his quickness in getting into and out of breaks is reminiscent of Julian Edelman – but he’s dropped too many passes. Fellow rookie Hakeem Butler has shown potential as a red-zone target – he made two spectacular TD catches in one practice – but he’s a raw product who has a limited route tree and his own issues with holding onto the ball.
Kingsbury has hinted that he’ll keep seven receivers. Five seem locks: Fitzgerald, Kirk, Johnson, Isabella and Butler. The other two spots are a competition among Trent Sherfield, Damiere Byrd, Pharoah Cooper and Kevin White.
(Former third-round pick Chad Williams is unlikely, at this point, to make the team.)
Sherfield, who caught 19 passes last season, probably has the edge on another roster spot. That leaves White, Byrd and Cooper fighting over one position. Byrd and Cooper have experience returning kicks, which gives them an advantage over White, whom the Cardinals signed in the offseason to a one-year deal.
Arizona doesn’t have a lot of position battles to sort out – which is somewhat surprising for a team coming off a 3-13 season – but which wide receivers separate themselves will be one of the more intriguing stories of the preseason.
Watch out for Chandler
Chandler Jones was thrilled when the Cardinals switched back to a 3-4 alignment because it meant he would again be playing outside linebacker, where he had 17 sacks in 2017. Jones has lost 25 pounds – dropping from 280 to 255 – and he’s flashed his quickness time and time again in training camp, often disrupting the offense’s plays in the backfield before they can get started.
If he stays healthy, Jones could have a monster season. Twenty sacks isn’t out of the question.
Chase Edmonds’ role
Johnson will be the focal point of Arizona’s offense but expect to see more of Edmonds, who had just 60 rushing attempts and 20 receptions last season. The Cardinals have occasionally lined up in two-back sets with Johnson and Edmonds. Also, when Kingsbury moves Johnson outside as a receiver Edmonds likely will be the back in Arizona’s 10 personnel.
Edmonds’ power, explosiveness and elusiveness have been evident in the first 10 days of camp. Kingsbury won’t let him rot during the season.
(Photo of Kyler Murray: Mark J. Rebilas: USA Today Sports)