Cardinals
Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon elected to roll with starters like Kyler Murray in Arizona’s 20-17 preseason win over the Chiefs to open the preseason. Gannon said they wanted to get snaps for their starters to get them ready for the regular season.
“(Kyler) is a ball junkie, so he loves to play football,” Gannon said, via Darren Urban of the team’s site. “The team, not just Kyler, they understood why we were doing what we were doing tonight. They were excited about it … to play another team, to get lathered up and bang somebody else other than themselves.”
Murray reflected on his interception against Kansas City, pointing out that it came after rolling out to his left, which he hasn’t done at full speed in practice.
“I’ve never really rolled out full speed (in training camp) like someone is going to tackle me,” Murray said. “It’s kind of weird to explain. But I am glad it happened. I would’ve hated for it to be New Orleans.”
Rams
- Rams HC Sean McVay said he doesn’t have an update on Matthew Stafford‘s back injury: “We’re trying to get our hands around this as well, so I don’t really have much more information other than think we’re trying some different things that are hopefully going to be in alignment with getting him back out on the field.” (Sarah Barshop)
- Rams RB Kyren Williams signed a three-year, $33 million extension with $23 million in total guarantees and a $5.2 million signing bonus. The deal includes base salaries of $1.1 million, $5.5 million, $8.9 million and $10.5 million. (Pro Football Talk)
- Williams has a $5.5 million roster bonus in 2026 (which was guaranteed three days after signing) and a $550k roster bonus in 2027. He can also earn up to $645k in 2026 and $500k in 2027 on per-game roster bonuses. (Pro Football Talk)
Seahawks
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker said they plan on building a “physical offense” as their identity in 2025 and expects to catch a lot of passes out of the backfield.
“I feel like it’s going to be a physical offense, and we know what we want our identity to be,” Walker said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “I like the aspect of running the ball, but also getting out of the backfield and catching the ball. It’s great… We’ve got all types of schemes that we can do, but I feel like I’m just an explosive back, and we can make plays.”
Walker has drawn criticism for his vision as a running back, but now has fifth-round FB Robbie Outzs as his lead blocker.
“If I don’t see it, and if he can see it, I can just follow him, and he just takes me,” Walker said. “Even if we don’t hit the right hole, if we hit it 100 percent, it still can make the play.”
When asked about qualities that make an elite running back, OC Klint Kubiak pinpointed players’ intelligence and availability as marquee attributes.
“No. 1 is intelligence,” Kubiak said. “No. 2 is availability, guys that are available the whole game. The best backs I’ve been around are super smart. Guys that you give them difficult game plans, and they can go out and make adjustments. Our top two guys are doing really good things, but Charbonnet, his mental approach to the game is extremely impressive. He does not flinch. If he ever has a question, you know you didn’t coach it good enough, because he’s that on it.”
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