Kyler Murray’s work, leadership praised by Jonathan Gannon, Budda Baker

Kyler Murray continues to get high marks for his work behind the scenes as a player, teammate, leader.

To say that Kyler Murray has been a lightning rod since being selected No. 1 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 draft would be an understatement, judging by the persistent outside noise that was often over the top but also at times justified.

It also appears clear that the torn ACL Murray suffered late in the 2022 season humbled him, coupled with the arrival of general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon early in the 2023 offseason.

Murray attacked his rehab and learning a new offense with a vengeance and then performed well in the final eight games of the season.

Gannon has had nothing but praise when talking about his quarterback and reiterated those thoughts Tuesday morning while speaking at the NFC coaches breakfast at the league meetings in Orlando, Fla.

“Everything that we’ve asked of him, he’s went above and beyond,” Gannon said. “If you watch the tape, you know why I’m convicted. But it’s not only the tape at that position. The other things that he brings to the table as a person, as a teammate, as a competitor, I absolutely love. Saddle me up; let’s go. Just from a standpoint of respect and love and care and developing that relationship with him we kinda like hit it off. So feel really good about where he’s at and where he wants to go.”

In comments Cardinals safety Budda Baker made on the Up & Adams podcast with Kay Adams, it was clear he agrees with Gannon’s assessment.

Baker said, “It’s night and day from his rookie year until now. Always a great player. (But now) a guy you can talk to, any of the players can talk to whether it’s the practice squad guys or the best players on the team. He’s around us. He jokes, cracks jokes, he talks. He’s a great leader, so definitely excited for him to continue to grow, continue to get better and lead this organization.”

Gannon can’t wait to get on the grass when the offseason program begins next month when Murray can focus on football, not rehabbing from a major injury.

The coach said, “That’s why I’m super excited about spring, getting to go through spring and then training camp with him because there’s some things that we want to explore that we think he can handle and there’s some things that he has brought up (and) that he wants some things added that he likes and he is comfortable with. So that’s always a coach and player thing, player and coach, which I love and I just think that him being in the spring and going through spring is really gonna help his development within our system with him as a player.

“I mean we changed his stance, how he took the snap and he took to it and understood the why behind it and he likes it now, but he’s gonna bank all those reps in the spring. So that’s why I say his best football is head of him, which is interesting to say because he’s played at such a high level.”

Moving his hand upward, Gannon concluded, “I really think he’s gonna keep going that way.”

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals’ projected win total only up slightly over 2023

The Arizona Cardinals have a projected win total of 6.5 for 2024, with only four teams with lower projections.

DraftKings Sportsbook released projected win totals for all 32 NFL teams on Monday. A year after the Arizona Cardinals, depending on the sportsbook, either had the lowest or were tied for the lowest projected win total, they have not improved much in terms of projection in 2024.

Last year, they opened at 5.5 projected wins and fell to 4.5 across the board.

In 2024, DraftKings has the Cardinals listed with 6.5 projected wins, with even -110 odds for the Over and the Under, essentially saying that the Cardinals are statistically as likely to have 6 or fewer wins than 7 or more.

Three other teams — the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings — have the same projected win total but with varying odds for the Over and Under.

Only four teams have a lower projected win total. The Tenessee Titans and Denver Broncos are at 5.5, while the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are at 4.5.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals will have joint preseason practices for 2nd straight year

After years of no joint practices, they will hold joint preseason practices for the second year in a row.

The Arizona Cardinals went years without holding joint practices in the preseason with another team. They held two days of joint practices last preseason in 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings under head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Gannon said on Tuesday in Orlando at the NFL’s annual league meeting that the Cardinals would hold joint practice again this year, per Darren Urban.

The details and opponent are not known yet, as preseason opponents and schedules have not been announced and won’t likely be until May.

Last year, it was the final week of the preseason and they used those practices to get starters competitive reps before the rookies and backups played in the preseason finale.

The Cardinals will play two road preseason games this year because they get nine home games.

The Cardinals would not hold joint practice in Arizona. State Farm Stadium is not big enough to hold joint practices inside with two teams with full preseason 90-man rosters, so they would have to practice outside and teams generally do not want to practice in Phoenix’s August summer heat.

So we know the Cardinals will practice against another team. We just don’t know when or against whom.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals to host Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. for top-30 visit

Brownlee was Kei’Trel Clark’s teammate at Louisville.

Last year, the Arizona Cardinals selected cornerback Kei’Trel Clark out of Louisville in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. They could add his former teammate in the draft this year.

They will use one of their top-30 prospect visits on Louisville cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., the player told The Draft Network’s Justin Melo.

Brownlee is 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds.

He played two seasons at Louisville after three at Florida State. In two seasons for the Cardinals, Brownlee intercepted three passes and broke up 18 passes.

He had an interception in the Senior Bowl this year.

He is a player Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon will love. He was a big fan of Clark entering his rookie year.

What will he like about Brownlee? His mentality.

“I think I proved that I’m the ultimate competitor,” Brownlee told Melo. “I’m a dog. I’ve always been overlooked and underappreciated. I showed everyone that I belonged at the Senior Bowl. I’m a team-first guy and a great player. I play with toughness and an aggressive mindset.

“I’m the best cornerback in the 2024 NFL Draft.”

He believes he will play more in the slot in the pros and he likes special teams.

The Cardinals used a top-30 visit on Clark last year before drafting him. We will see if history repeats itself.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

NFL owners make it easier for coaches to get extra challenge

The NFL approved a proposal to give coaches a third challenge if they are successful on at least one during the game.

The NFL owners voted to make a couple of rules changes at the annual league meeting on Monday in Orlando, Florida. One change is a tweak to coaching challenges.

Proposed by the Detroit Lions, the owners voted to make it easier to have a third coaching challenge.

Previously, coaches would get a third challenge if they were successful on both challenges during the game.

Now, under the new change, coaches will have a third challenge if they are successful on one of their first two.

This probably won’t do much for the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Jonathan Gannon only challenged one ruling on the field all season. If that continues in 2024, Gannon will have no use of an extra challenge. He never once ran out of challenges in a game.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Owners vote to ban hip-drop tackle

Despite NFLPA opposition on the basis of confusion for players, coaches, officials and fans, the league owners voted to ban them.

Owners at the annual league meeting in Orlando on Monday passed a trio of rules changes for 2024. One impacts players on the field.

After the competition committee unanimously recommended banning what is called a “hip-drop” tackle, owners agreed and voted to ban that type of tackle in 2024. Such a tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty against the defense and fines for the player.

There are two elements to this sort of tackling technique.

  • The player grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms.
  • The player unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg or legs at or below the knees.

The NFLPA came out publicly against the potential ban, decrying it for the confusion it would cause for players, coaches, officials and fans.

However, the league has wanted to get it out of the game. NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent explained.

“The greatest asset for any athlete is durability and availability,” Vincent said last week. “When you have a play that has a 20-25 times the injury rate, it doesn’t allow you to fulfill your dreams.”

We will see if this becomes a problem for how games are officiated and played.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

What could the Cardinals get for trading away the No. 4 overall pick?

The Broncos and Vikings could try and trade with the Cardinals to get the fourth overall pick. Here is a look at what it could net Arizona.

The 2024 NFL draft is one month away. Yes, 31 days from Monday, the three-day event will begin. When it’s over, we’ll all take a deep breath as the millions of mock drafts disappear into cyberspace oblivion and the endless speculation ceases.

Of course, between now and the opening of the first round on April 25, the chatter will be nonstop. That’s especially true for Arizona Cardinals and the various trade proposals for the fourth overall choice.

General manager Monti Ossenfort said last week about potential trades: “There will be a big neon sign that says open. I don’t like it blinking; that kind of messes with my eyes. But yeah, we’re always going to be listening.”

Of course, that’s the essential truth for all teams, whether at the top of the draft or later. Last year, there were 44 trades during the draft’s three days.

While it’s widely assumed quarterbacks will go off the board in the first three selections, speaking at the AFC coaches’ breakfast this morning during league meetings in Orlando, Fla. (Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon will speak Tuesday), new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo cast some doubt about where they will go with the No. 3 overall pick.

Noting a trade could happen, Mayo said, “I know everyone likes to think they have the special formula to picking players, but honestly the guaranteed way to win is to accumulate more picks. So if we don’t feel convicted at No. 3, we are willing to [make a trade] as well.”

Jess Root already reported on what Broncos head coach Sean Payton said today at the breakfast. While Payton claimed it was “realistic” that the Broncos could move up from the 12th slot to select one of the highly rated quarterbacks and added that “it’s good to be Monti right now,” he also said it’s “hard to predict what that cost is.”

Naturally, most of that is driven by who is available and how many teams desire certain players, but a look at recent history is an indication.

In 2021, the Miami Dolphins traded the third overall choice to the San Francisco 49ers for the 12th overall selection; picks in the first and third rounds in 2022, which turned out to be Nos. 29 and 101 overall; and a first-round choice in 2023 (29th overall). The 49ers famously picked quarterback Trey Lance, who is now with the Dallas Cowboys.

Last year, the Cardinals were knee-deep in deals, trading down and then back up to pick tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

Like Miami, the Cardinals owned the third pick in the first round, and like the 49ers, Houston had the 12th pick. The Texans already had the second overall choice, so netting the No. 3 pick allowed them to land quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who were the league’s Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year last season.

The Cardinals also sent the Texans a fourth-round pick (No. 105); in addition to the No. 12 overall selection, Arizona received a second-round pick (No. 33) plus first- and third-round selections (Nos. 27 and 90) this year.

Moving down to No. 11 (where the Minnesota Vikings pick) or No. 12 would likely eliminate the Cardinals from landing any of the top three receivers: Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze.

A trade to move up is certainly possible, but risky.

Last year, the Cardinals moved from No. 12 to No. 6 and sent the Detroit Lions a second-round pick (No. 34) while also acquiring a fifth-round choice (No. 168) from Detroit.

The question is whether Ossenfort and Co. would be fine with wideout Brian Thomas Jr. or someone else at the position at Nos. 11 or 12, or later in the round, depending on the haul for trading down.

While seemingly most Cardinals fans believe the draft will be a failure if Harrison isn’t landed, the reality is it’s not necessary to select who is perceived to be the best receiver, but rather one of the best.

Consider the 2020 draft, when Justin Jefferson was the 22nd pick in the first round after Henry Ruggs (pick No. 12), Jerry Jeudy (No. 15), CeeDee Lamb (No. 17) and Jalen Reagor (No. 21), and before Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25), Tee Higgins (No. 34) and Michael Pittman Jr. (No. 34).

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Broncos potentially eyeing Cardinals’ selection at No. 4 in 2024 draft

HC Sean Payton said it is “realistic” that the Broncos will trade up in the draft for a quarterback.

The Arizona Cardinals are in the middle of trade rumors in the first round of the NFL draft. They have the fourth overall pick and have been connected to the Minnesota Vikings in their expected desire to trade up to get a quarterback.

The Cardinals will likely have multiple suitors seeking a trade. In addition to the Vikings, the Denver Broncos appear to be eyeing the Cardinals’ selection at No. 4 overall.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said it was “realistic” that the Broncos would trade up from the 12th pick in the draft to target a quarterback.

He even noted the position that Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort are in when it comes to trade leverage.

“It’s good to be Monti right now,” Payton said.

The Broncos don’t have a pick after no. 12 until No. 76. The Vikings have two picks in the first round at No. 11 and No. 23.

It will be interesting to see what it will eventually cost a team to move up to No. 4 and if the Cardinals are even willing to move off the pick.

The NFL draft begins with the first round on April 25.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals have top-30 visit with Northern Iowa DL Khristian Boyd

Boyd has at least 11 top-30 visits scheduled.

NFL teams are busy getting ready for the 2024 NFL draft with pro days and with player visits. Teams are allowed to fly in up to 30 prospects, meet with them and examine them.

The Arizona Cardinals are one of 11 teams scheduled for a top-30 visit with Northern Iowa defensive lineman Khristian Boyd, according to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.

Boyd did not get invited to the NFL combine.

He is 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds. He performed well at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Per his draft profile on NFLdraftbuzz.com:

In 2023 as a fifth year senior Boyd logged playing time in 11 games and logged a total of 631 snaps for the Panthers. He also added 29 tackles, 12 assists, and 24 stops. As a pass rusher, he tallied 30 total pressures, which included 18 QB hurries, 9 QB hits, and 3 sacks on the season.

The Cardinals have made a concerted effort to rebuild the defensive line. Boyd could be a guy they would like to add on Day 3 of the draft, as they have five selections in Rounds 4-7.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals to bring in Arizona WR Jacob Cowing

Cowing is a small but fast receiver who played high school ball in Maricopa, Arizona.

The Arizona Cardinals continue to look at wide receivers among the prospects in the 2024 NFL draft. One receiver they have at least some interest is a local product.

According to Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler, the Cardinals are using a top-30 meeting on Arizona wideout Jacob Cowing.

Cowing played high school ball and Maricopa High School.

Cowing is small and fast. He is 5-foot-8 and 168 pounds. He ran the 40 at the combine in 4.38 seconds.

He played three years at UTEP before transferring to Tucson to play for Arizona for two seasons. In two seasons for Arizona, he caught 175 passes for 1,882 yards and 20 touchdowns, 13 of them in 2023.

Cowing’s reported top-30 visit might not count against the Cardinals’ limit of 30 prospects. Because he is from the metro area, if they do not provide transportation to the facility in Tempe, it doesn’t count against the 30-player limit.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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