Roster And Draft Class Breakdown: Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are an interesting case study. Kliff Kingsbury was brought in to run the Air Raid with Kyler Murray. The idea was they had the two perfect guys for the job. Well, it hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Kyler Murray has yet to take that next step and really take command. Now he says he won’t play without a new deal. Kyler according to reports won’t take accountability for his mistakes and lacks leadership qualities. Why can’t the offense get over the hump despite all the talent? Can the defense be elite? Let’s break it all down.
Offense
Kyler Murray believes he is worth more despite not really accomplishing anything. He had a good year in 2021 with a 69% completion percentage, 3,787 passing yards, and 24 touchdowns. Yes, it’s good - but it should be better. His career TD/INT ratio is very close to 50% (70/34). Does this deserve a new deal? Heck no, not yet anyway. Don’t get me wrong, he is probably better than a good amount of quarterbacks in the league. But is that enough? Right now it isn’t. James Connor led the league in rushing touchdowns and was able to secure a new deal with Arizona. In a little bit of a surprise, Chase Edmonds left to sign with Miami. Darrel Williams comes from over from Kansas City and has a similar skillset with better ball carrying skills. Watch out for Eno Benjamin as well who has gotten some opportunities, but not a lot. That may be harder to come by with the drafting of Keaontay Ingram, a sixth round pick from USC. He also spent time at Texas. He can do it all and his pass catching skills are very good.
Deandre Hopkins will miss the first six games due to a performance enhancing drug suspension. He is one of the best in the league, but having him miss time is a huge loss. He also missed time last season due to injury. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was traded from the Ravens (called it). He is looking for a fresh start after being drafted in the first round from Oklahoma, and not getting much action due to the Ravens heavy run scheme. Brown has so much speed, and he will get a lot of volume right away with the suspension of D-Hop. AJ Green for some reason was resigned to a one year deal despite being 33 years old. Zach Ertz also signed a new deal to remain the top tight end. For the first time with Murray at QB, a young playmaking tight end was brought in. Trey McBride was a second round pick from Colorado State. He was one of the best in the draft. McBride had 1,121 yards on 90 catches.
The offensive line is on the older side. With an offense like the Air Raid, it seems like younger bodies would be better. From left to right, D.J Humphries, Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson, Will Hernandez, and Kelvin Beachum are up front. Hernandez is the youngest starter at age 26. The other starters are age 28 and higher. Arizona added two guards in the draft. The first is Lecitus Smith, a sixth rounder from Virginia Tech. Right now he is a depth option at right guard. The second was Marques Hayes, a seventh round pick from Oklahoma. He is a depth option on the right side.
Defense
JJ Watt, Rashard Lawrence, and Zach Allen are in the trenches in the 3-4 front. While it’s not the main job of the DT to get sacks, it would be nice to see Lawrence to step up and add another level to the defense. Two defensive ends were added in the third round. Cameron Thomas from San Diego State had 11.5 sacks in his time with the Aztecs along with 23.5 tackles for loss, and 61 pressures. Myjai Sanders from Cincinnati had a pressure percentage of 14, but only had 2.5 sacks. Both players will compete for spots in the rotation.
Dennis Gardeck, Zaven Collins, Isisah Simmons, and Markus Golden are the linebackers. Collins and Simmons can be an elite duo in the heart of the defense. Golden had 11 sacks last season. Jesse Luketa can play both roles. The seventh rounder from Penn Sate has a high motor, according to ESPN. He lacks speed but is an option on special teams.
The secondary is young and promising. Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson are the corners. Murphy had four picks in 2021. Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker are the safeties. Baker had four picks, and Thompson had three. Christian Matthews was drafted in round seven from Valdosta State. He is a depth option for now.
Draft Misses
The offensive line is a still a red flag, and there is no backup center on the roster. Josh Jones has still not cracked the starting lineup as a former third round pick. If the Cardinals don’t like their options, why not draft for better ones? Arizona can’t have Kyler running for his life all the time. They also opted not to draft a receiver. Why not let AJ Green walk, keep Rondale Moore as a starter, trade Andy Isabella, and draft one or two more pass catchers? The Isabella trade market is nonexistent, so at this point just cut him. The Cards don’t have a traditional slot threat. Slade Bolden could have taken this offense to the next level. He went undrafted and signed with the Ravens. They do have Trace McSorley as a third string QB. He hasn’t been able to get any reps, but he is athletic enough to play in the slot and maybe return kicks and punts. He has the ideal size and speed for a slot.
Projection As Of Right Now
The Cards should be at least competitive in the NFC West. Things are uncertain with the 49ers and Seahawks and the Rams are still the favorite. Despite all of this, I see the Cardinals just missing the playoffs and maybe a coaching change coming after that despite the new contract for Kingsbury.