As if there was any question, there shouldn't be anymore: Kyler Murray is Arizona's starting quarterback.
The first overall pick in the 2019 draft took every snap on Thursday night as the Cardinals kicked off training camp practices at State Farm Stadium. That continued Arizona's trend from offseason workouts of handing Murray all the first-team reps.
"I think it takes away from the distraction, people asking questions and all that stuff," Murray said, per the team's website. "It's my job to earn that right every day."
Backup quarterback Brett Hundley was just that: a backup. Signed this offseason when Josh Rosen was still on the roster, Hundley does not appear to be in contention for the starting QB job.
Arizona's QB room looks a whole lot different than it did in 2018, when the rookie Rosen and veteran journeyman Sam Bradford were splitting snaps the whole preseason. According to Cardinals players, this year's approach of handing Murray the job early on will help the whole team improve.
"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.
"Now, you can really hone in on (Kyler's) comfort zones and what he likes, what he doesn't like. It's that constant communication with everyone in the room. Last year, you might have, 'Sam likes this, but Josh likes this.' A little bit of butting up of ideas. It's been better knowing he's the guy."
Even the senior-most stars are down with handing the reins to the 21-year-old Murray.
"Him taking every single snap from the first day he got there, I think everyone understood what the deal was," said receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who caught one pass from Murray on Thursday night with one hand.
That Murray is the unquestioned starter in the desert is not a surprise; freshman head coach Kliff Kinsgbury had a relationship with the quarterback before he was in college and runs a system tailor-made to accentuate Murray's strengths, But the buy-in from Murray's teammates, young and old, is significant. The sooner they rally around the diminutive youngster, the better.
Well, they didn't wait long.
"Everybody in this locker room knows he's going to be here," 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."
