During a lot of Zoom offseason meetings with players and coaches, the phrase “the sky’s the limit,” was said repeated.
In Arizona there is reason for optimism and heightened expectations for a significant improvement is on last season’s 5-10-1, which was the first season for Kliff Kingsbury as head coach and the first in Arizona for Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator.
Despite an offseason of virtual meetings, the Cardinals hit the field for training camp feeling confident and comfortable that they are primed to at least make a run at a playoff spot in a season where the NFL has added an additional wild-card team in each conference.
Standing in their way, of course, are the three other teams in the division that all finished above .500 last season. Only the 9-7 Los Angeles Rams failed to make the playoffs, but they, along with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks combined to win 31 games.
That’s a difficult gauntlet to traverse and how the Cardinals do in the six division games will likely determine how successful the season is in the desert. Here is our season preview, you can see other teams’ from across the network here.
Offense
It all begins with quarterback Kyler Murray, the first overall choice in the 2019 draft who came on strong in the second half of the season and was named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He can make plays with his arm and legs and draws rave reviews from his teammates for his work ethic and leadership. Murray often says, “I live and breathe football,” and he enters his second season with an improved cast.
Hopkins was the marquee acquisition of the offseason and his presence could make ageless veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald never want to stop playing. Hopkins will likely draw consistent double coverage, opening things up for Fitzgerald underneath and Christian Kirk at various spots. A young group that includes Andy Isabella, KeeSean Johnson, Hakeem Butler and Trent Sherfield provides depth as all are competing for roster spots and playing time.
Running back Kenyan Drake will have a full season with the Cardinals after rushing for 643 yards in eight games after a mid-season trade from Miami. He and Chase Edmonds each averaged better than 5.0 yards-per-carry last season in a franchise record year of 5.3 per-attempt overall.
Don’t sleep on the team’s tight ends, especially Dan Arnold. Acquired on waivers from New Orleans in early December, he was a quick study and had four receptions for 76 yards in the season finale that included a 37-yard score and a 23-yard play. His ability to get downfield will also enable the multi-faceted offense to produce as long as they are better in the red zone.
On the offensive line, Mason Cole takes over for A.Q. Shipley at center and July addition Kelvin Beachum is competing at right tackle with Justin Murray and rookie Josh Jones nipping at his heels. The rest of the line, led by left tackle D.J. Humphries, left guard Justin Pugh and right guard J.R. Sweezy, is solid.
It’s difficult to imagine this offense not being one of the most explosive in the league.
Defence
It’s hard to believe a defence that had two players, outside linebacker Chandler Jones and safety Budda Baker, in the NFL Top 100 allowed the most yards in the NFL at 402.0 per game. Chandler was second in the league with 19.0 sacks and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. Baker was elected a Pro-Bowl starter.
However, cornerback Patrick Peterson failed to crack the top 100 for the first time in years largely because he was suspended for the first six games of the season and then struggled for a few weeks getting comfortable in Joseph’s defense. In addition, free-agent cornerback addition Robert Alford missed the entire season because of a leg injury.
Peterson is back and primed for a bounce-back season, although the injury bug bit Alford again, and he will miss another season, this time with a torn pectoral muscle. However, several key additions have this group believing big things are ahead.
Free agency brought defensive lineman Jordan Phillips, who had 9.5 sacks for Buffalo last season, along with outside linebacker Devon Kennard, who had 7.0 sacks in Detroit’s 4-3 scheme. He will be on the other side of Jones in the 3-4. Inside linebacker tackling machine De’Vondre Campbell, who led the Falcons in takedowns a year ago, also signed.
In the draft came heralded linebacker Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson, plus two gap-pluggers in the defensive line via the fourth-round, Leki Fotu from Utah and Rashard Lawrence of LSU.
Excellent holdovers are nose tackle Corey Peters and inside linebacker Jordan Hicks, who led the team with 158 tackles (11 for loss) and never missed a defensive snap. Defensive end Zach Allen could also be a rising presence on the line after putting on weight, while Michael Dogbe could be a sleeper who has also added mass.
Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. will have a big role in the secondary, either in the slot or opposite Peterson, depending on who emerges from a group that just added Dre Kirkpatrick. Baker and fellow safety Jalen Thompson will likely man those spots.
Predicted Record: 7-9
The beginning of the season will set the stage for what happens next. After a visit to the 49ers, the next four games are against Washington and Detroit at home, followed by road games at Carolina and the New York Jets. The schedule gets tougher after that, so a good start appears crucial for a team hoping it can rise above .500 for the first time since 2015.
Despite wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins joining, an improvement from .344 to .500 or higher seems like a jump too far this year.
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