GLENDALE — The Arizona Cardinals practiced for the first time in pads during Day 5 of training camp on Monday.
After stretching and doing position group drills, Kyler Murray led the first-team offense against the first-team defense, while Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder rotated between the second and third-string players in their ongoing battle for backup quarterback.
Arizona first did 7-on-7s, then 11-on-11s and finally finished off with redzone 11-on-11s.
Murray excelled all day and the highlight of practice was a pass to Marvin Harrison Jr., who gained about five yards of separation on Starling Thomas V on a corner route. Although most plays weren’t full speed, Murray was incredibly accurate and also had some moments where he showed off his rushing ability.
Marvin Harrison Jr. beats Starling Thomas V on a corner route in 7-on-7s. pic.twitter.com/6SrGeCdfiq
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) July 29, 2024
Harrison did not pop much outside this catch today, as Murray also had some good connections to the rest of his receiving corps, including Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Trey McBride. As expected, the Cardinals were the most creative with Dortch, lining him up all over the field and putting him in several motion sets.
Marvin Harrison Jr. doing receiver drills at Cardinals Training Camp. pic.twitter.com/msNPhuWVkC
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) July 29, 2024
Emari Demarcado saw first-team reps today as he battles with Michael Carter and Trey Benson for the backup running back spot.
Ridder and Tune both struggled with the backups with Ridder more so. Thomas recovered from his defense on Harrison with an interception on Ridder later on, the lone turnover of practice.
Starling Thomas bounces back to intercept Desmond Ridder. Jumped a pass intended for Trey McBride. pic.twitter.com/iz1Jl2QMge
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) July 29, 2024
In addition to this interception, there were a decent amount of pass break-ups in today’s practice. Rookie cornerback Max Melton broke up a pass intended for Harrison on a shallow crossing route. Joey Blunt, Kei’Trel Clark, Garrett Williams, Diivad Wilson, Tyreek Maddox-Williams were some other members of the secondary with good pass break-ups throughout practice.
The defensive line also stood out, generating a lot of pressure, especially with the second and third units. Although they did get a good amount of pressure on Murray, he was able to navigate it most of the day and find his receivers.
In addition to offense and defense, punter Blake Gillikin was bombing his punts today. Dortch, DeeJay Dallas and Xavier Weaver were the three main returners.
Stay tuned for more Cardinals training coverage on burncitysports.com.
