PRESEASON ROUNDUP
Former Oklahoma star Kyler Murray's debut with the Cardinals headlines Thursday's slate of preseason games
Hey, Kyler, this is for real. Sort of.
Kyler Murray, April's top overall draft pick out of Oklahoma, will make his preseason debut for Arizona on Thursday night when the Cardinals host the Chargers.
“I'm looking forward to having fun,” Murray says. “It's going to be different suiting up in a Cardinals jersey. Not playing for a school, you're representing a state.”
That state saw its team have the worst record in the NFL in 2018, fire coach Steve Wilks and hire Kliff Kingsbury, an offensive guru who had recently been fired as head coach at Texas Tech.
There are 11 games on the first full night of preseason play; the Broncos beat the Falcons last week in the Hall of Fame Game.
Patriots at Lions: Former Patriots with injuries are of interest here. Trey Flowers, the defensive end who went from New England to Detroit as a free agent and was the Lions' big offseason acquisition, is on the physically unable to perform list. Coach Matt Patricia, a former defensive assistant for the Patriots in his second season with Detroit, has been recovering from a surgically repaired left leg that's caused him to move around the practice facility on a vehicle.
Titans at Eagles: If Eagles QB Carson Wentz plays, it'll be his first action since a back injury ended his season early for the second straight year and forced him to watch Nick Foles lead the team to a playoff victory in his absence. Foles, the Super Bowl MVP two years ago, is now with the Jaguars.
Redskins at Browns: Firstround quarterback Dwayne Haskins is expected to make his Redskins debut. The 15th overall pick out of Ohio State is competing with veterans Case Keenum and Colt McCoy for the starting job. Jets at Giants: Adam Gase gets started as Jets head coach. He isn't likely to use prized addition running back Le'Veon Bell. Though Eli Manning is the Giants' starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, the No. 6 overall draft pick, is the heir apparent and will get plenty of preseason work, including against the Jets.
Falcons at Dolphins: Brian Flores' first game as Miami's coach. One player to watch: Preston Williams, an undrafted receiver out of Colorado State, who has been the most impressive rookie for the Dolphins in camp.
Colts at Bills: With Andrew Luck out and Jacoby Brissett taking limited snaps, Bills fans might get to watch Chad Kelly try to resuscitate his QB career. The nephew of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly signed with the Colts in May, but has had an uneven camp. Jaguars at Ravens: The Ravens are expected to use quarterback Lamar Jackson briefly to see how he handles first-year offensive coordinator Greg Roman's revamped playbook. It will also mark the debut of former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, who will see extended time because backup Robert Griffin III is out with a broken right thumb.
Panthers at Bears: With very few position battles, the Bears have one goal in the preseason opener: find a kicker. Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro will see their first game action in pursuit of the job Cody Parkey had last year.
Texans at Packers: Coach Bill O'Brien said that many Texans starters should get some playing time, though it's unlikely star defensive end J.J. Watt will be one of them. Watt left a joint practice with Green Bay early on Monday after experiencing tightness in his groin and sat out Tuesday as a precaution. Broncos at Seahawks: QB Joe Flacco makes his Denver debut. Seattle will get its first chance to see Geno Smith and Paxton Lynch in a game situation in the competition to back up Russell Wilson.