ARIZONA CARDINALS

Cardinals CB Byron Murphy says game is slowing down in 3rd season

Sep 28, 2021, 8:53 PM | Updated: 10:08 pm

Cardinals CB Byron Murphy runs through drills during practice Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Tempe. ...

Cardinals CB Byron Murphy runs through drills during practice Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Tempe. (Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)

(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy is coming off his best game as a pro and starting to feel more comfortable in his third year in the NFL.

For the Saguaro High School alum, Murphy has always felt at home in Arizona and says he came into the league with the mentality that he belonged.

“My mindset was to come in to wherever, whoever brought me, come in and start right away since day one,” Murphy said Tuesday on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.

Murphy was thrown into the fire in his first year in the league, forced to fill in for the injured Robert Alford and play alongside Cardinals’ legend Patrick Peterson.

Now in his third year, Murphy is one of the veterans on the squad and that early experience is starting to pay off.

“To have more experience on the field kind of made me more comfortable as the years went on. So I would say year three for me kind of everything is slowing down and I’m seeing the details a little more faster,” Murphy said.

After being shuffled from slot corner to outside, Murphy’s versatility has helped him lead by example and make sure he is prepared for whatever his team calls his name for.

“In college, I was mostly an outside corner, never really played nickel,” Murphy said.

The adjustment hasn’t bothered him.

“Nickel or playing outside corner, you’re just another defensive back,” he said. “Wherever the team wants to put me, inside or outside it doesn’t matter, I’m willing to play both.

“That’s the biggest thing for me is make sure I can play both, just in case.”

One of the challenges for the corner now is to stay patient while looking for his opportunity to make plays.

“Every offense is going to come out each Sunday with a different type of game plan so we knew if they made a good play or a good drive they were going to take a shot and that’s when it came,” Murphy said. “We knew a shot ball was going to come.”

Murphy was there to take advantage against the Jaguars.

With two interceptions and one of them returned for a touchdown, Murphy is a candidate for the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

It would be the second time this season a Cardinals player won the award after Chandler Jones won it in Week 1 with a five-sack performance.

Presented By
Western Governors University

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

Desmond Ridder runs the rock against Houston...

Tyler Drake

Desmond Ridder eager to remind fellow Cardinals QB Clayton Tune about college wins

Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder may not know Kyler Murray just yet, but he and Clayton Tune go way back.

23 hours ago

LSU's Malik Nabers, a top NFL Draft prospect...

Kevin Zimmerman

NFL Draft: Malik Nabers to visit Arizona Cardinals after LSU pro day, per report

Top NFL Draft receiver prospect Malik Nabers will reportedly visit with the Arizona Cardinals after the LSU Tigers' pro day.

1 day ago

Desmond Ridder looks to pass...

Tyler Drake

QB1 or not, Desmond Ridder keeping starter mentality with Cardinals

New Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is focused on using the good and the bad from his first two seasons rather than listening to outside chatter.

2 days ago

Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray look on...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray’s ‘best football is ahead of him’

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Kyler Murray will continue taking the necessary steps forward with a full offseason of work.

2 days ago

Kyler Murray chats with Jonathan Gannon...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals will face ‘really good’ AFC opponent for joint preseason practices

The Arizona Cardinals expect to hold joint practices in the preseason against a really good AFC opponent, in the words of Jonathan Gannon.

2 days ago

Patriots and Cardinals kick off return in 2020...

Associated Press

NFL owners approve new kickoff rules for 2024

NFL kickoff rules will take on a hybrid approach similar to the XFL. League owners approved the new measures Tuesday.

2 days ago

Cardinals CB Byron Murphy says game is slowing down in 3rd season