Kyler Murray will start throwing in person to his teammates this week – at least, that's what Kliff Kingsbury expects.
Meanwhile, save for a stop into the team facility Monday morning for a brief time, Kingsbury isn't planning on working in the office even though the NFL has cleared coaches to return. The rest of his coaches haven't come back either.
Working remotely with the coaches has been a smooth process, Kingsbury said during a Monday Zoom press call, as have virtual meetings with players. But without players around physically, the Cardinals' coach acknowledged the summer work has about reached its limit.
"We're running out of ideas without actually taking it to the field and actually executing it," Kingsbury said. "You can only cover so many things without actually practicing it. We've about reached that point."
Kingsbury chuckled as he said it, but it remains NFL reality. That's why the question of when Murray will get together with teammates is so important. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins recently said it was likely to happen soon, so Kingsbury's belief it would happen this week isn't a surprise.
The coach also said Larry Fitzgerald's annual workouts in Minnesota were another possible gathering point. Kingsbury added Murray's work with teammates would "kind of roll into whenever training camp may be."
That's about as detailed as Kingsbury could get about the logistics of training camp.
"I am waiting to hear how that is going to happen," said Kingsbury, who said more clarity could be coming by the end of the week. "I think the NFL has been smart giving us a couple weeks at a time. So that's where we are at."
It's the same reasoning why the coaches have yet to return to the office.
"Until we have more guidance from the NFL with what the remainder of the offseason will look like, we want to just keep it flowing," Kingsbury said.
The NFL sent out a memo Monday outlining the extensive health steps each team must take once players return to their facilities in an effort to protect against the coronavirus. Among the requests: Locker rooms reconfigured so people can stay six feet apart, virtual meetings whenever possible, and masks as a requirement except during athletic activities.
"We'll follow those guidelines as best we can," Kingsbury said, noting that all rules could be amended as time goes on.
COVID-19 isn't the only non-football issue facing the Cardinals or the NFL right now, however. Much of Kingsbury's press conference was spent addressing the current conversations about racism in the country and how the Cardinals spent last week – during the height of the protests and as multiple players spoke out – having discussions within team meetings.
The NFL season is approaching, with all its necessary coronavirus tweaks, but Kingsbury also knows that preparation for the sport itself isn't as important as his players and their mental health.
"Football is secondary," Kingsbury said. "That's the one thing our coaching staff has done a nice job of, make sure, 'Hey, we can get them the football anytime, but make sure these guys are OK.' Make sure if they need to talk, they can talk and we're here for them on a level that's bigger than football."
