Kingsbury: Cardinals want to ‘build around’ Josh Rosen at quarterback

INDIANAPOLIS — Kliff Kingsbury attempted to diffuse a twisted controversy surrounding his quarterback position on Wednesday.

The first-year coach of the Arizona Cardinals made headlines when a video from last college football season — Kingsbury was head coach at Texas Tech — made the rounds. The money line: Kingsbury said he would take Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the top pick in the draft if he could.

As it turns out, Kingsbury certainly could. The Cardinals have the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

“Kyler is a freak. … I would take him with the first pick of the draft if I could,” Kingsbury said at the time. “He’s a tremendous talent. I’ve thought that since high school. He’s just gotten better and better. You see what he did in just kind of one season.”

Kingsbury recruited Murray out of high school, but he said Josh Rosen, drafted 10th overall in 2018, remains the Cardinals’ quarterback.

“He knows where he stands with us,” Kingsbury said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Tremendously talented thrower of the football. Last year you saw some of the toughness, the makeup. We want to build it around him.”

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim was far less absolute about the QB spot. He said the team is still completing evaluations.

“Is Josh Rosen our quarterback? Yeah, he is, right now, for sure,” Keim said.

Kingsbury is not permitted to communicate with Rosen, who started 13 games as a rookie and passed for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he said the staff has had limited interaction with the former UCLA quarterback.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal, hopefully,” Kingsbury said. “With the first pick, we’ve got a chance to put some good pieces together.”

Kingsbury cannot deny, however, the appreciation he and other members of the organization have for Murray’s natural ability.

“The fascinating thing with Kyler is, he’s the quickest guy on the field,” Kingsbury said.

Murray might not work out in Indianapolis this week, but he’ll be a popular interview with teams who are looking for a game-changer at quarterback.

–By Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media