Michael Crabtree's release by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week came as a complete surprise to NFL followers. Those plugged into the team, though, were less shocked by the veteran wide receiver's abrupt departure amid reports that he was never a good fit in Arizona's locker room. But Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is explaining the rationale behind waiving Crabtree much differently.

Asked on Wednesday why Crabtree was released, the Cardinals' rookie coach submitted that 32-year-old's departure is a result of the team prioritizing youth at wide receiver.

“It’s about getting those young guys more time,” Kingsbury said, per Jess Root of CardsWire. “We feel like there’s a lot of very talented young players in that receiving corps, and we needed to see what they got and see how they developed as the season goes on.”

Crabtree was waived by the Baltimore Ravens in February. After the spring and summer came and went without him being picked up, Crabtree signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals on August 21, halfway through the preseason.

After not playing in Arizona's season-opening tie with the Detroit Lions, Crabtree was active in Weeks 2 and 3. He had two catches for 13 yards in a hard-fought loss to the Ravens, and caught two more passes in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Second-year receiver Christian Kirk leads the Cardinals in catches with 20, while future Hall-of-Famer Larry Fitzgerald, rejuvenated playing in Kingsbury's offense with Kyler Murray, paces them in receiving yards with 253. Now that Crabtree is gone, expect rookies KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella to get more playing time on offense.