Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson suspension puts Byron Murphy in spotlight

Arizona Cardinals Pro-Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson has been suspended for the first six games of 2019, which thrusts Byron Murphy into the flames.

The Arizona Cardinals have done nothing but make headlines in the 2019 offseason. First hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their new head coach, then taking Kyler Murray first overall before trading 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen to Miami certainly has been talked about constantly, both good and bad. However, Patrick Peterson has them back in the news and certainly not in a good way.

Peterson, who has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season due to violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The suspension settled at six games after Peterson dropped his appeal.

Losing Peterson certainly puts the Cardinals secondary in a precarious position. Certainly, landing Robert Alford this offseason will help to lessen the blow. However, replacing an eight-time Pro Bowler is not an easy task. To do so, Arizona may have to turn to rookie Byron Murphy.

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After turning heads in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by taking the aforementioned Murray, the Cardinals kicked off the second round by nabbing Murphy out of Washington, making him the second cornerback off of the board. Spending that valuable capital on Murphy shows that the Cardinals believe in his talent and rightfully so.

Prior to the NFL Combine, Murphy was gaining steam as the consensus best cornerback in the 2019 draft class. However, pedestrian athletic testing caused his stock to plateau or even drop slightly, which led to him being taken in the second round by Arizona.

Having said that, Murphy showed tremendous ability on film throughout his college career. The Washington product may not be an elite athlete, but his footwork and instincts in coverage are intangible qualities that appear as if they’ll immediately translate to the pro level. In all likelihood, he would’ve seen time early on in his career with the Cardinals regardless of anything else.

With Peterson out for the first six games, though, Murphy should be the projected starter on the outside opposite of Alford. While David Amerson is also on the roster and provides experience, he does not have the same upside or even ability that Murphy does coming into his rookie campaign.

Expecting a rookie cornerback to come in and play a big role successfully in the NFL is always a risky proposition. Having said that, it’s the situation that the Cardinals will be in for the first six games. The good news is this experience could be exceptionally valuable for Murphy in his development and, if he steps up to the task at hand, provide Arizona’s defense with a tremendous 1-2 punch when Peterson does return, teaming the rookie up with the Pro Bowler.