KICKING THE TIRES
Cards downplay OT needs as NFL combine begins
There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks, even after starting left tackle D.J. Humphries was re-signed to a new three-year deal, that the Cardinals would probably be best served by selecting an offensive lineman with the No.8 pick in next month’s draft. Not so fast.
General Manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury met with reporters on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, and they indicated the team might be just fine along the offensive line, specifically at right tackle, where outside pundits seem to think there is a glaring hole.
It’s true that two of the Cardinals’
right tackles, veterans Marcus Gilbert and Jordan Mills, are impending unrestricted free agents. The player who started 12 games at right tackle and played in 14 others there, Justin Murray, seems like a lock to return as a restricted free agent.
Keim made that sound abundantly clear on Tuesday, implying as if it’s already a done deal by saying, “He’s a guy that we’re excited to have back.”
“After we claimed Justin (a week before the season opener), he certainly showed the ability to play right tackle,” Keim said. “Toward the end of the season, I felt he played at a fairly high level. He’s a guy that can not only play right tackle, he can inside at guard so brings positional flexibility as well.
“… He worked his tail off in the eight room and he did all the things that Kugs (offensive line coach Sean Kugler) wanted to see in the film room, so he is a guy that we think can continue to grow and get better.”
Murray, 26, was an undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati in 2016 who bounced around the league his first three years until finding a home in Arizona last season. He spent time with the Broncos, Buccaneers, Saints, Bengals and Raiders, but appeared in just two regular-season games before joining the Cardinals.
Gilbert was set to open the season as the team’s starter at right tackle until he suffered a torn ACL in practice. Murray was signed the next day and held up well against some of the league’s best pass rushers. He missed two games because of a knee injury but returned to start the final six games of the year.
Kingsbury also weighed in on Murray on Tuesday, telling reporters how the tackle helped the offensive line overall take some pressure off rookie quarterback Kyler Murray in 2019.
“The way Justin Murray played definitely helped take some pressure off of that,” Kingsbury said. “… We really felt like he did a great job as the season went on and we think he’ll continue to get better.”
In the same breath, however, Kingsbury said the Cardinals aren’t going to be close-minded about their options along the offensive line. Veteran center A.Q. Shipley started all 16 games, as did Humphries and guards Justin Pugh and J.R. Sweezy, but Shipley is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Center isn’t expected to be a priority in the draft, as Arizona already has Mason Cole under contract and it’s expected the team wants to bring back Shipley.
And even though it appears that retaining Justin Murray is in their plans, it doesn’t preclude the Cardinals from perhaps drafting one of the top tackle prospects in this year’s class – Tristan Wirfs from Iowa, Jedrick Wills Jr. from Alabama, Mekhi Becton from Louisville or Andrew Thomas from Georgia.
“We’re going to look at all our Kingsbury said. options,”
If they think Justin Murray can be their starter at right tackle and/or they are able to bring back either Gilbert, 32, or Mills, 29, or both, the Cardinals can use the No.8 pick on a different position. Four players that could be available when it’s their turn to draft include the top two wide receivers in this year’s class – CeeDee Lamb from Oklahoma and Jerry Jeudy from Alabama – as well as Clemson do-everything linebacker Isaiah Simmons and Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
Lamb and Jeudy both indicated to reporters on Tuesday that they have each met with the Cardinals. There’s no doubt that both players are on the team’s radar at No.8. Arizona is in need of a No.1 wideout and either one could easily fill that hole. Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III, perhaps the fastest player in this year’s draft, is another option at wideout.
“There are some great ones in this draft,” Kingsbury said of the receivers overall. “I think there’s going to be up through Round 4, some top, top guys that are still left. We’re going to do our due diligence and make sure we are ready if one of those guys is there for us.”
As for Simmons and Brown, Kingsbury said, “Both tremendous, very, very productive players. Anybody would be lucky to have those two guys, regardless of where you play them. Simmons has such versatility and then Brown is a dominant player up front. So yeah, I love both of those guys.”
Keim and Kingsbury on also reiterated their desire to re-sign running back
Kenyan Drake, who was acquired in a midseason trade with the Dolphins and rushed for 643 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games. Drake, who is also set to become a UFA, had more 100yard games with the Cardinals (three) than he did in 54 games with the Dolphins (two).
“We’d like to have him back,” Kingsbury said. “He came in and he seized his opportunity to be the guy. That’s what he wanted -- to have the majority of the carries and be the guy – and he took it and ran with it. He’s got a unique skillset that we think fits our system, so we’d love to have him back but we’ll see where that goes.”
The Cardinals are already committed to spending at least $11 million at the running back position in 2020 with David Johnson and Chase Edmonds. Resigning Drake, 26, is expected to cost them between $4-7 million a year, plus a guaranteed signing bonus.
Note
The Larry Fitzgerald Football ProCamp will be held April 25-26 at Mountain Pointe High School. The camp is open to boys and girls of all skill levels in grade 1-8 and each participant will receiver a T-shirt, autograph and team photograph with Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald will be on-site to direct the even and will be joined by a group of prep and college coaches from the Valley area. Registration and more information is available at LarryFitzgerald Camp.com.