DeAndre Hopkins raving about Kyler Murray should have Cards fans hyped

The new Arizona Cardinals wide receiver is a huge fan of his new quarterback

Following the 2019 NFL season, it looked like the Arizona Cardinals were about a year or so away from seriously contending in the NFC. But, general manager Steve Keim put all of his chips on the table after finding out he could receive star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans for a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder.

With training camp opening up this past week, Hopkins got to see the talent of new quarterback Kyler Murray, and he’s a big fan of his already.

“Kyler has an arm,” Hopkins said on a conference call, via ProFootballTalk. “Obviously, I’m thankful to play with a quarterback like that who can make any throw, anywhere on the field and has confidence to do it. I think just from what I’ve seen, we’re going to have a good time playing football together, because obviously he’s confident in his arm. The guy is very talented, very smart, high football IQ. What I’ve seen so far is someone with a very strong arm.”

Murray to Hopkins could be a truly dynamic duo

As is the case with any new quarterback-receiver duo, there will be an adjustment period before the two can truly gel together. Even so, Hopkins is good enough to be able to make an impact on the field, regardless who’s throwing him the ball. Hey, this guy even had great seasons with Tom Savage targeting him downfield.

In regards to Murray’s arm, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the sixth-best quarterback when throwing at least 20 yards downfield. On those attempts, Murray accumulated a 41.9% completion percentage and a 94.5 quarterback rating. Those numbers came with a rather lackluster receiving corps, which means those numbers will vastly improve with Hopkins lining up on the outside.

Last season, Murray completed 64.4% of his passes for 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while rushing for 544 yards and four touchdowns on 93 carries. As a result, Murray won the Associated Press’ Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Make no mistake about it, no one was happier than Murray once the Cardinals pulled off the steal of a trade for Hopkins. 2020 will be a fun year for the Cardinals, who have all the potential in the world to do some damage in the NFC.