Kliff Kingsbury Gives Nod to Kyler Murray in Press Conference
ARIZONA -- Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is back in the NFL.
After spending a season at USC following his dismissal from the desert at the end of 2022, Kingsbury interviewed for a handful of openings and ultimately landed with the Washington Commanders as their new offensive coordinator.
Kingsbury now finds himself in a similar position to when he first took the Cardinals job in the 2019 offseason, at least in terms of potentially having a new franchise quarterback awaiting him in the NFL draft. The Commanders currently hold the No. 2 pick.
Whether it be Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, the Commanders will be looking at a real possibility of welcoming in a new gun-slinger.
When speaking with reporters at his opening press conference, Kingsbury said quarterbacks need to be able to make plays with their feet, though they don't quite need to be on the same level as Lamar Jackson - or Kyler Murray.
"You watch those guys at the end like when the money is on the table, you've got to be able to make some plays with your feet, move around enough to escape a bad play," Kingsbury said.
"It doesn't mean you've got to run like Lamar [Jackson] or Kyler Murray. But you better be able to move a little bit and buy yourself some time because the D-line, the rush as a defense these days is so good. And then the intangibles, you want that player to be hardest worker on your team.
"You want him to lead those guys. Each and every day when he shows up in the building you want him to lift the building up. That's why those guys make the type of money they do."
Kingsbury spent four seasons at the helm in Arizona and was a main proponent of bringing Murray to the desert, even after the team previously spent a top pick on quarterback Josh Rosen in 2018.
"I've been fortunate to be around some really good players, good people. I just try to figure out what makes them tick. Everybody's different. Everybody learns different," he said.
"Everybody processes differently. Likes different plays. Sees the game differently. So, I really try to get to the bottom of who they are as a person and who they are as a player and build it around them."
