Byron Murphy Enjoying Challenge vs Former Cardinals Teammates

Former Arizona Cardinals CB Byron Murphy - now with the Minnesota Vikings - was able to show off some familiar skills during a joint practice.

For the past few seasons, Byron Murphy was used to practicing against Arizona Cardinals receivers - as one of the team's top corners, it was a daily routine. 

Perhaps the familiarity helped when the Cardinals made the trek up to face his new team - the Minnesota Vikings - for a handful of joint practices ahead of their preseason finale on Saturday. 

Murphy was drafted to his hometown Cardinals back in the 2019 NFL Draft and slowly molded himself into a versatile cornerback that could hang in both the slot and boundary against some of the best receivers in the league. 

In the offseason, Murphy inked a two-year deal with the Vikings worth up to $17.5 million - $12.6 million of which was guaranteed. 

A few months prior, Murphy took a slight jab at the Cardinals after he signed with Minnesota:

"I’m here, I’m doing all those things. (I’m) just happy to get away from that situation. Always thankful for that team, coming from there, but I’m just here now. Excited, and happy, this is just better for me. Everything is better."

A new start was needed for Murphy, but as his current and former team practiced against each other, Murphy showed love to former teammates.

"Obviously just to go compete against the guys I came into the league with, those are my guys, my brothers, I talk to them every single day," Murphy said via The Arizona Republic's Jose Romero. 

"So just to come on the grass and look at them across in a different jersey is kind of different, but you know, it's fun for me to come out and compete against them."

Part of the practice featured Murphy intercepting Colt McCoy's pass attempt to Marquise Brown during one-on-one drills.

Another angle from Hollywood vs Byron Murphy shows Colt McCoy was the QB on the throw #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/VoV79Op15S

— Jesus (@updatecardinals) August 23, 2023

When healthy, Murphy proved to be a valuable asset in Arizona's secondary. Teammates such as Budda Baker echoed that sentiment. 

"Definitely someone who we relied on, kind of knowing where all the little places were, or he would always know certain people to help us out or even just in the DB room, his energy, the type of person he was, just a great guy, great all around guy," Baker said.

"I was lucky to have him as one of my teammates in college. He's continuing to grow, continues to be a great guy, continuing to ball out on the football field."