It’s Kyler Murray’s show to run in the desert.
In case there was any doubt about whether Murray would have full control of the reins as the No. 1 quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals this season, the first practice of training camp would seem to make the picture abundantly clear.
According to Darren Urban of the team’s website, Murray took every snap with Arizona’s first-team offense on Thursday. It’s the same game plan the Cardinals have had with Murray the entire offseason as they look to get Murray ready to roll for the regular season.
“Everybody in this locker room knows he’s going to be here,” wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “First pick overall, guys understand, it’s going to be his show. You want to be a part of it? Get on board.”
Murray has always appeared to be the ideal candidate to run Kliff Kingbury’s offense in his first go as a head coach in the NFL. Instilling Murray as the starter straight from the jump also eliminates the distraction of teammates having to prepare for the possibility of seeing two different quarterbacks under center on a revolving basis, as the Cardinals experienced last year with Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen.
“Last year, you have to worry about ‘50-50ing’ it up, make sure you’re getting reps with Josh, make sure you’re getting reps with Sam,” wide receiver Christian Kirk said. “Even the coaches would say, ‘We know Sam is starting but make sure you get reps with Josh as well because you never know when he might be thrown in.’ So you have to divvy it up.
Of course, if Murray begins throwing out performances in practice on a daily basis that resembled Nathan Peterman’s start against the Chargers in 2017, they may be forced to reconsider if Murray is ready. However, Murray knows he has full control over that outcome as well. Only if that scenario were to play out would there be any question as to whether Murray is the team’s starting quarterback or not and he’s intent on keeping that possibility off the table.
“I think it takes away from the distraction, people asking questions and all that stuff,” Murray said of being the clear starter from day one. “It’s my job to earn that right every day.”