Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray, Marquise Brown start rebuilding rapport on field
The Cardinals’ training camp practice on Monday was closed to the public but open to members of the news media. The one stipulation, however, was that reporters weren’t allowed to report anything they saw after the first 20 minutes and the first 20 minutes is usually relegated to running and stretching and such.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury was free to talk about what he saw, though, and apparently, quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown looked really good. Like really, really good.
"They both practiced today. Looked good. Kyler looked sharp and Hollywood looked fast," Kingsbury said. "That’s what we’re looking for and we’ve just got to keep building that rapport. We were down with some of those tight ends, so we did some 10 Personnel and lined up all four of those wideouts together and it looked like we can have some fun with that."
Murray and Brown have had a synergy about them since their college days together at Oklahoma, but they didn’t have much time together at all during offseason team activities and Monday was really the first day since the start of camp at State Farm Stadium that they were able to be full participants in the same practice.
Watching them work with such cohesion was something Kingsbury has been dying to see since the Cardinals sent their first-round pick in this year’s draft to Baltimore to acquire Brown and a third-round pick.
"Yeah, no doubt," he said. "We’ve been chomping at the bit to get those guys out there together. They had some nice plays together and I think it will just grow the more Marquise gets comfortable within our system and they get on the same page over the next three weeks. I think it should be a good thing for our offense."
Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch, who turned heads with his performance in Friday’s night preseason-opening win at the Bengals, said he was impressed with what he saw Monday from Murray and Brown.
"They’re like best friends," said Dortch, who caught four passes for 53 years and had a 55-yard punt return. "They just have a chemistry that you can’t really coach. It just comes from them hanging out and having played together. It’s just fun. This is a grown man’s game, but they’re just kids out there having fun together. It’s just fun to watch them click like that."
Those not practicing Monday, according to Kingsbury, included Dortch (knee contusion), wide receiver Andre Baccellia (ankle), tight end Stephen Anderson (knee). Wide receiver Antoine Wesley (hip/groin) could miss one to two more weeks, Kingsbury said.
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21 and counting
The Cardinals play the Ravens on Sunday at State Farm Stadium and Arizona will be running into a Baltimore team that has won 21 consecutive preseason games, a streak that dates back to 2015.
Asked if such a streak will be on the Cardinals’ minds at all, Kingsbury said, "Definitely."
“That’s part of their culture,” he said. “They say, 'We’re going to win these games and help it build into the regular season' and I respect that approach. Obviously, their team believes it. They’re one of the most successful franchises in the league, so we’ll definitely get their best shot. We know it will be a real challenge."
Don’t expect the Cardinals to play many of their starters, if at all. Kingsbury said things will look similar to how they looked in Cincinnati, depth chart-wise, meaning mostly younger players will see the majority of action.
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Inside out
After transitioning from tackle to guard last season, Josh Jones has been moved back to tackle and has been getting work at both the left and right outside positions. The third-year pro out of Houston is now the primary backup at both spots, according to offensive line coach Sean Kugler.
"That’s his natural position," Kugler said recently. "Last year, he was one of our best five (starters). My job as the offensive line coach is to get the five best guys out on the field. He was out of position at guard last year. I’ll be the first to tell you that.
"He had some ups and downs, he had some good games, and he had some rough spots just like all young players do. But tackle is his natural position, his long-term (position) and he’s a future starter here at tackle. He can start this year and I feel confident in that. If your third tackle is capable of starting, you’ve got a good third tackle."
Rookie guard Lecitus Smith, meanwhile, Arizona’s sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, is being used primarily at center and will be third on the depth chart behind starter Rodney Hudson and backup Sean Harlow.
"Lecitus never played center so he’s making that transition," Kugler said. "He’s had some days, man, where everything clicks and then you’ll see a thing like a (poor) snap or a false start. He’s got a lot of things on his plate and he’s thinking about a lot of things but he’s very smart, he’s really an athletic player.
"He’s got great size (6-foot-3), he’s 315, he’s physical, so he has a lot of attributes that as a coach you love to have, that you can mold. He’s doing an outstanding job. He can play guard, too, and is being trained at both, just like Harlow."
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New helmets on display
The Cardinals broke out their alternative black helmets at Monday’s practice and are scheduled to wear them again Sunday against the Ravens.
"They look sharp," Kingsbury said, adding of team Owner Michael Bidwill, "Appreciate Michael pulling it off. The players are really excited about them. I know will have them for a couple games in-season as well. It’s a good look."
Top 100 list
Every year NFL.com comes out with its Top 100 Players list, which is voted upon by the players themselves as well as a panel of analysts, and three Cardinals have made the cut this far through from picks No.51-100.
Running back James Conner, who accounted for 18 touchdowns a year ago, checked in at No.80. Free safety Budda Baker, a two-time, first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection, is ranked 67th. And Murray, Arizona’s two-time Pro Bowl selection, is ranked 57th.
Conner didn’t crack the Top 100 list a year ago. Baker and Murray, meanwhile, tumbled 48 and 18 spots, respectively. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was ranked No.8 on the 2021 Top 100 Players list.
"I don’t take too much stock in that," Kingsbury said of the list in general. "I’m just glad they’re on our team. They’re tremendous players. I saw James Conner made the list, which I thought was very appropriate. He’s a very, very special football player."
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Quick kick
Of the five players released on Sunday, the most surprising may have been defensive tackle Kingsley Keke, a four-year pro who began his career in Green Bay.
"He got sick unfortunately with COVID and we had some young guys that we thought stepped up, so we wanted to give him an opportunity somewhere else," Kingsbury said.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray, Marquise Brown rebuilding rapport
