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Rumors: Cardinals could pass on Kyler Murray, could impact Redskins

By Jacob Camenker

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 29: Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on prior to the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 29: Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on prior to the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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The Arizona Cardinals have long been connected to Kyler Murray. But at the moment, there are rumors that they could back backing off and may go in a different direction.

First of all, let me preface this by saying this is the week of the draft. A lot of smoke will be blown by decision-makers across the league as they try to manipulate the draft to fall in their favor. Rumors will be rampant and it will be difficult to sift through which ones actually have some truth to them.

Some of the latest rumors coming out are surrounding the Arizona Cardinals and the No. 1 pick. The Cardinals have long been connected to Kyler Murray, but they have been trying to set up smokescreens all through draft season, and they have been tied to Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams as well. But since the combine, Murray has been locked in as the No. 1 pick for most.

However, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco recently reported that the Cardinals may not want Murray and may be after someone else with the top pick. In all likelihood, this player would be either Bosa or Williams, but it’s important to take these rumors with a grain of salt at the moment. The team well may be set on picking Murray first overall, but there is another side to this coin.

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The Cardinals may be trying to bait another team into trading up for the top pick in order to acquire extra picks to improve their team. This would assume they would take a defensive player early after trading down with a team like the Raiders and build up the other positions on the team. And this scenario would also assume that the team would keep Josh Rosen and use him as their starting quarterback.

The only impact this scenario would have on the Redskins is regarding Rosen. Murray is pretty much guaranteed to come off the board in the top-four picks, as the Raiders would likely select him if he somehow falls. If that happens, it won’t impact where the other quarterbacks land, so the ‘Skins would still see the same quarterbacks on the board at 15, if any are left.

That said, if the Cardinals aren’t going to trade Rosen, that’s a big deal for the Redskins. The team has been considered to be the favorite to land the former top-10 pick in a trade. If they can’t trade their second-round pick and something else for Rosen, they will be more likely to target a first-round quarterback. And at this point, it seems that Daniel Jones might be the top option on the board (though Dwayne Haskins could be the guy if he falls).

Of course, the idea that the Redskins could trade up to get Murray has also been floated around. However, that seems extremely unlikely, especially after the franchise’s meeting with Murray was canceled shortly ahead of the draft.

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Again, it needs to be noted that this could all just be a smokescreen by the Cardinals to either drive up the value of the top pick or drive up Rosen’s value on the trade market, as teams may bid more if they think there’s a chance he’s not actually available. This will be something to monitor as the 2019 NFL Draft draws nearer, but don’t read into it too much just yet.

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