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With Leaders On Field, Cardinals Have Excellent Offseason Turnout

Hernandez calls voluntary work 'necessity' for players

The offseason work for every team can be, as a subject, a dicey conversation. All but the last minicamp is voluntary, and there is nothing wrong if a guy misses time.

But the Cardinals have had almost everyone on hand every day -- a nod to both the players' collective mindset and what Jonathan Gannon is building. And, as is usually the case, it starts with the team leaders.

"You can feel everybody wants to push each other and it's exciting to be here right now," center Hjalte Froholdt said. "All the vets are here too, that don't necessarily need to be here. We've got Budda (Baker) in here working, we've got James Conner in here working, we've got Kyler (Murray) in here working. It's like, if they are in here, I need to be in here.

"And I don't feel like I'm here because I am forced to. I'm excited to be here. So yeah, I'm pretty stoked right now."

Murray missed all of last season's offseason work because of knee rehab, so this offseason has been pointed to as a crucial learning time for him. But there are other spots too, like the news Paris Johnson Jr. is moving to left tackle and free agent Jonah Williams will be the new right tackle, that can use extra prep.

Asked about the "voluntary organized team activities," guard WIll Hernandez deadpanned, "Did you say voluntary mandatory?"

"The way I see it, that word (voluntary) doesn't exist to me," Hernandez said. "This is an opportunity to work, and we want to work. Especially if we have a new guy on the right side I want to be spending as much time and getting as many reps as possible. I definitely see it as a necessity."

C Hjalte Froholdt
C Hjalte Froholdt
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