ARIZONA CARDINALS

Return of Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, other vets make for ‘spirited’ OTAs

Jun 1, 2022, 3:23 PM | Updated: Jun 2, 2022, 11:03 am

TEMPE — Unlike previous voluntary workouts this offseason, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray graced the team’s practice field in Tempe on Wednesday.

Along with a handful of other veterans, Murray was back in the OTA fold, diving into drills and looking the part as Arizona’s franchise signal caller after missing the last round of OTAs on top of the team’s strength and conditioning workout.

Wednesday’s session certainly had that first-day-of-school feel for starting offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum, who was among the batch of veterans showing up to voluntary workouts for the first time.

“It’s always great to be with your friends, guys that you have worked with in the past and guys you’re still excited to work with in the future, Beachum said. “Glad that (Murray’s) back, glad that we’re back and excited to continue working on some of the things we need to work on to be better this coming year.”

Beachum has been one of Murray’s biggest proponents this offseason amid a contract extension back-and-forth that has gone on between the quarterback’s side and the team.

Jumping on national broadcasts this offseason, Beachum has stuck by his signal caller amid all the noise.

Seeing him back on the practice field and getting to work with his team despite ongoing contract extension speculation gives Beachum’s stance a whole lot more backing.

He knows Murray brings with him the presence of a leader, it’s just about continuing to fine-tune the intangibles.

“I just walked by the team room and he’s leading the 7-on-7 film work, so he’s putting in the work,” Beachum said. “It’s been a maturation process like I’ve said this entire offseason and he’s continuing to get better and he’s continuing to mature.

“I think when you look at somebody who you want to see progress week in and week out, year in and year out, that maturation process is really starting to take place.”

For head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the plan all along was to have Murray back for the first week of June OTAs. Beyond this session of voluntary workouts remains day to day, but still shows the quarterback’s willingness to be back working with his teammates.

“It’s good, I thought having him, having Beachum, having Pugh, Hollywood, Hump that’s always good,” Kingsbury said. “A lot of starters were back so I thought the work was good, spirited and it was nice.”

Still, some time has passed since the last time Kingsbury saw his quarterback in the flesh.

On top of his new hair style, Kingsbury can see the signal caller is sticking with his offseason routine.

“He looks good, been working out,” Kingsbury said. “Obviously we knew (strength and conditioning coach Buddy Morris was) in constant contact with his trainer there in Dallas so we knew what he’s been doing. He looks like he’s been working hard.”

But while Murray, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, James Conner and a good portion of the starting offensive linemen were in a Cardinals practice uniform on Wednesday, there was one veteran producing a glaring hole on the field in defensive lineman J.J. Watt.

Coincidence or is there yet another layer to Arizona’s offseason we are now unearthing?

“(Zach Ertz) with the donuts, Kyler coming back — I’m not saying that there’s problems, but there could be problems,” Watt joked with the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. “Kyler was in the building yesterday, I saw that he was there. Our media guy came up to me and said, ‘Hey, Wednesday is our only open media session for OTAs. Will you speak afterwards?’ I said, ‘You know what? I’m not even going to be there.'”

“Nobody’s fretting any of it because we all understand how it goes,” Watt added on Murray’s contract situation. “My brother just did his deal last year. It took until the last week of preseason. That’s just the way these things go. None of us are worried about it. … I’m sure it all get worked out and I look forward to having Kyler out there.”

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort looks on. It's officially NFL mock draft season with Arizona's...

Tyler Drake

NFL mock draft tracker: What will Cardinals do with No. 16 pick?

A look across the NFL mock draft landscape when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals' No. 16 overall pick in this year's draft.

7 hours ago

Chiefs Eagles...

Associated Press

Eagles deny the Chiefs a Super Bowl 3-peat with dominant defense in rout

The Chiefs didn't come close to completing their 3-peat, as the Eagles' dominant defense led Philadelphia to a rout and Super Bowl victory.

20 hours ago

Cooper DeJean...

Damon Allred

Eagles stun Chiefs with pick-6, shutout first half in Super Bowl

Cooper DeJean had more yards on his pick-six than Patrick Mahomes had to his own team as the Philadelphia Eagles blitzed the Kansas City Chiefs to a shutout first half.

22 hours ago

Aaron Rodgers...

Associated Press

Jets tell Aaron Rodgers they’re ‘moving on’ from the QB for next season, report says

Aaron Rodgers is still contemplating whether to continue his playing career. If he does, it appears it won’t be with the New York Jets.

24 hours ago

The Chiefs try to make history against the Eagles by winning a third consecutive Super Bowl, this t...

Associated Press

Chiefs aim to make history in city where they won their first Super Bowl

The Chiefs will try to make history against the Eagles by winning a third consecutive Super Bowl, this time in the same city where they won their first.

1 day ago

The Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line could prove to be a pivotal factor in the outcome of Sunday...

Associated Press

Eagles’ Super Bowl path paved by prowess of their offensive line

The Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line could prove to be a pivotal factor in the outcome of Sunday's Super Bowl matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

1 day ago

Return of Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, other vets make for ‘spirited’ OTAs