Zay Jones has been a member of the Cardinals organization for just a few months, but if you ask Kyler Murray, his presence exceeds that timeline.
"It seems like he's been around longer just from the connection that we've had," Murray said. "Once we got him, I was really excited. We threw a couple of times off the field, outside of the facility."
It's a credit to Jones, with whom Murray was familiar with since their journeys both went through the state of Texas. As much as Jones went on the now-famous trip to UCLA with Murray and his teammates to get some reps in, it was also intended to "see the guys out of the element of football."
In a short amount of time, that veteran mindset has already been felt.
"Almost like a coach standpoint, players can lean on him," offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said. "I think he's done a great job of embracing that role and I think we certainly try to foster that in giving him the opportunity to have that voice because he has been around, and he's done it at a high level for a long time."
From taking care of the body post-practice, to route running and getting off the line of scrimmage, to analyzing opponents film and sharing previous game experiences, Jones can help the wide receiver room, Petzing added.
Jones is entering his eighth season in the league after previous stops in Buffalo, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville. It makes a player one of the older ones in the room, and at times, Jones feels the elder statesmen.
With that comes wisdom that a young receiving core could benefit from. Yet Jones is still a student of the game.
"To be able to coach up or if I see something or if they asked me a question, I think I can offer insight," Jones said. "But really, I'm just learning just as much from everybody else, so I think everybody does a great job of not big-dogging people or talking down on people. We're really collectively helping everyone as a group.
"That's been something I've noticed, which is uncommon because that doesn't happen on every football team."
Training camp is all about competition, and while Jones is likely to make the 53-man roster and play in the season opener against the team that drafted him, he's still in a fight to earn snaps. The addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. and the expected emergence of Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch have made it more of an uphill climb for Jones.
But Jones is that veteran that can help a team that spent most of last season struggling with its wide receiver production.
"I know what I have internally and what I'm capable of, but for right now, I'm just trying to earn a spot no matter where they put me, and enjoying that process," Jones said. "Seasons go by so fast, you just want to come and embrace it. It's been fun being present in this moment."
