The Arizona Cardinals went out of their way to debunk, deny and rebuff any insinuation or whisper that the team would even consider drafting Kyler Murray and trading quarterback Josh Rosen.
"Josh is our guy" became the headline after coach Kliff Kingsbury uttered unabashed support for the incumbent.
The Cardinals so thoroughly backed Rosen it will inevitably lead to "doth protest too much (inquisitive emoji)?" responses.
Much of the speculation about Arizona's potential interest in Murray with the No. 1 overall pick stems from Kingsbury's own comments back in October before his then-Texas Tech Red Raiders were set to face off against Murray's Oklahoma Sooners.
"Kyler is a freak..... I would take him with the first pick of the draft if I could," Kingsbury said at the time.
Now he's on the team that could make Murray the first pick in the NFL draft.
Lost in the support for Rosen headlines on Tuesday was Kingsbury's explanation for uttering that previous declaration regarding Murray.
"I get it. We have the first pick, so there are going to be a million scenarios over the next three months that are going to come up," Kingsbury said. "Kyler is a tremendous player, and I said that being very complimentary before we played an opponent. I understand the sound bite. Like I said there will be a ton of scenarios before we come to the draft."
Of those scenarios, surely the Cards will discuss where Murray ranks on their draft board -- to do otherwise would be professional malpractice. If the "freak," as Kingsbury previously admiringly referred to Murray, is the clear-cut, drop-dead obvious top selection, Arizona could revisit their commitment to Rosen, despite the current verbal support.
For now, the organization is making the smart move, backing the player currently on the roster and publicly explaining previous tangentially related dalliances with a hot younger prospect.
