Arizona Cardinals make plenty of plays in joint practice against Tennessee Titans

NASHVILLE — The starters were out in the sunshine for the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday morning at Saint Thomas Sports Park, the Tennessee Titans' football facility.

Quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner and wide receiver Hollywood Brown saw action in the two-minute drill, 11-on-11 period toward the end of the two teams' joint practice. DeAndre Hopkins made a one-handed catch in practice — again — in one-on-one action with the Cardinals receivers facing the Tennessee defensive backs.

Plenty of players weren't there or did not practice, a lengthy list including injured tight end Zach Ertz and COVID-battling defensive end J.J. Watt. The injuries necessitated a conversation between Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to shorten two planned practices to one and not allow full tackling and hard hitting.

It seemed to work out well for the Cardinals, who appeared to be the better team on the field with owner Michael Bidwill looking on from the sideline. They made more offensive and defensive plays than their Titans counterparts, even if it was only a practice.

"I thought lots of good energy. We felt a competitive fire from our guys. I thought they really turned up in the competition, and to go against another team and different people in one-on-ones was really good for them," Kingsbury said. "We'll watch the film, a lot to clean up but I really liked the energy and I liked the way that they competed."

Arizona's receivers made catch after catch in drills against the Titans, from one-on-one to 11-on-11. Linebacker Tae Daley picked off a Malik Willis pass and ran it back for a touchdown, cornerback Byron Murphy intercepted Titans No. 1 quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Murray looked mobile and accurate throwing on the run.

"We got what we wanted out of it," Kingsbury said. "They embraced it, which is good. That's what you want to see. We've got a competitive group with some great leaders that stepped up and made some plays."

The Titans' take on the practice had a different tone. They were satisfied with the work they did against each other, not so much against the Cardinals.

"Down there in the red zone in the one-on-ones, it’s the same stuff, and we just have to realize it’s going to be contested,” Vrabel said. "There’s going to be contact and we have to do a better job of attacking the football and keeping guys off of us. The offenses didn’t do much there in the two-minute. We’ll have to figure that out."

Tannehill was in agreement with his coach.

"In the two-minute, we just weren’t playing at a high level of what we expect offensively," Tannehill said. “It was just too inconsistent."

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There wasn't much audible jawing between the two teams, or any heated altercation. The Cardinals made plenty of noise on their sideline cheering for each other.

"Our guys were fired up to get out of Arizona and go against some different people," wide receiver A.J. Green said.

"It was very competitive. Had a lot of juice, had a lot of fun, guys were ready early," said safety Budda Baker, who took part in his first practice against another team. "With a lot of the '1s' not playing in the preseason, this joint practice has helped a lot with us covering different guys. My favorite was everything."

Rookie tight end Trey McBride, who made a diving catch for a touchdown in the one-on-one portion on a throw from quarterback Trace McSorley, said the players were instructed not to fight.

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"It's cool to get a new change of scenery, come out here to Tennessee and practice against other people," McBride said. "But most importantly, I think it's more of the camaraderie and building relationships with your teammates."

Those who missed seeing the Hopkins catch heard about it soon after it happened.

"He loves to compete. It was fun to watch him do that," Kingsbury said. "I'm sure he's got some good content for his IG (Instagram) now."

Kingsbury was asked if joint practices are something he'd like to do every year.

"We'll see if it works out logistically. Kansas City has had a ton of success, they never do it," Kingsbury said. "I think it's how you feel about your team each and every year, and your philosophies. But this was good work for us."

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Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals compete in joint practice against Tennessee Titans