The New Look Arizona Cardinals
The Revamped Arizona Cardinals
Boy, did the Arizona Cardinals have an offseason to remember. The Cardinals and their head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, have made a clear and concerted effort to let Kyler Murray know that this is his team, even going into just his second season in the NFL. As a team that went 5-10-1 last season, the Cardinals conveyed their commitment to Murray through their strong offseason, both offensively and defensively.
First off, Arizona kicked off free agency with a BOOM. This was the blockbuster trade that sent David Johnson to the Houston Texans and DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. This was a miraculous trade for the Cardinals as they were attempting to dump Johnson's pricey contract for draft capital, but they actually ended up receiving one of the NFL's most accomplished wide receivers in the process. While David Johnson was once a star running back for the Cardinals, in 2019 he was demoted to a backup when Kenyan Drake started putting up Pro Bowl statistics in Arizona's backfield. To receive such compensation, in Hopkins, for a backup RB was truly astounding. DeAndre Hopkins has been an all-pro selection in each of the last 3 seasons and has the 2nd most receiving TDs in the NFL since 2016. Hopkins will now be paired up with future Hall of Famer, Larry Fitzgerald, and budding, young receiver, Christian Kirk, to create a lethal air attack in Arizona. This gives Kyler Murray a multitude of seasoned receivers at his disposal, unlike he has seen in his short NFL career.
The next move the Cardinals made was placing the franchise tag on RB Kenyan Drake. Drake had a standout half of the season after being traded from Miami. He was on pace for 1300 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs on the season, if he had played all 16 games with Arizona. This was a paramount signing, as the Cardinals traded away David Johnson and leaned on Drake's production for much of the 2019 season. The retention of Kenyan Drake gives the Cardinals a much-needed balance between the passing and running game that will be dynamic for years to come.
In free agency, the Cardinals made a few signings in DT Jordan Philips, LB Devon Kennard, and LB DeVondre Campbell. Phillips had a quietly strong season, totaling 9.5 sacks for the Bills last season. Devon Kennard and DeVondre Campbell were primarily meant to add depth to Arizona's LB unit that was fairly abysmal last season.
The Arizona Cardinals continued to improve their team in the 2020 NFL Draft, especially at the 8th overall pick and the 72nd overall pick. With much speculation leading up to the draft regarding the Cardinals selecting an offensive lineman with the 8th overall pick, they selected a LB in Isaiah Simmons. Simmons, out of Clemson University, was known to be a versatile linebacker that could also play safety and nickel cornerback if needed. This was a major need on the Cardinals defense last season as they posted the worst defensive numbers in the league against tight ends last year and didn't have a proper LB to cover that position. Simmons will undoubtedly improve the Cardinals' lackluster defense. At the 72nd overall pick, the Cardinals struck gold with a player they had ranked inside their top 25, Josh Jones. Jones is an OT from Houston who was projected to be a late first-round pick but somehow fell to the 72nd pick for the Cardinals to swoop him up. This draft pick by the Cardinals just further indicates the Cardinals' commitment to helping Kyler Murray thrive in their air raid offense.
Overall, the Arizona Cardinals did an incredible job of assisting Kyler Murray offensively and improving the defense to compete in a tough NFC West. I expect Murray and the Cardinals to make a monumental jump this season to potentially be a fringe-playoff team after going 5-10-1 last season.
Boy, did the Arizona Cardinals have an offseason to remember. The Cardinals and their head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, have made a clear and concerted effort to let Kyler Murray know that this is his team, even going into just his second season in the NFL. As a team that went 5-10-1 last season, the Cardinals conveyed their commitment to Murray through their strong offseason, both offensively and defensively.
First off, Arizona kicked off free agency with a BOOM. This was the blockbuster trade that sent David Johnson to the Houston Texans and DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. This was a miraculous trade for the Cardinals as they were attempting to dump Johnson's pricey contract for draft capital, but they actually ended up receiving one of the NFL's most accomplished wide receivers in the process. While David Johnson was once a star running back for the Cardinals, in 2019 he was demoted to a backup when Kenyan Drake started putting up Pro Bowl statistics in Arizona's backfield. To receive such compensation, in Hopkins, for a backup RB was truly astounding. DeAndre Hopkins has been an all-pro selection in each of the last 3 seasons and has the 2nd most receiving TDs in the NFL since 2016. Hopkins will now be paired up with future Hall of Famer, Larry Fitzgerald, and budding, young receiver, Christian Kirk, to create a lethal air attack in Arizona. This gives Kyler Murray a multitude of seasoned receivers at his disposal, unlike he has seen in his short NFL career.
The next move the Cardinals made was placing the franchise tag on RB Kenyan Drake. Drake had a standout half of the season after being traded from Miami. He was on pace for 1300 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs on the season, if he had played all 16 games with Arizona. This was a paramount signing, as the Cardinals traded away David Johnson and leaned on Drake's production for much of the 2019 season. The retention of Kenyan Drake gives the Cardinals a much-needed balance between the passing and running game that will be dynamic for years to come.
In free agency, the Cardinals made a few signings in DT Jordan Philips, LB Devon Kennard, and LB DeVondre Campbell. Phillips had a quietly strong season, totaling 9.5 sacks for the Bills last season. Devon Kennard and DeVondre Campbell were primarily meant to add depth to Arizona's LB unit that was fairly abysmal last season.
The Arizona Cardinals continued to improve their team in the 2020 NFL Draft, especially at the 8th overall pick and the 72nd overall pick. With much speculation leading up to the draft regarding the Cardinals selecting an offensive lineman with the 8th overall pick, they selected a LB in Isaiah Simmons. Simmons, out of Clemson University, was known to be a versatile linebacker that could also play safety and nickel cornerback if needed. This was a major need on the Cardinals defense last season as they posted the worst defensive numbers in the league against tight ends last year and didn't have a proper LB to cover that position. Simmons will undoubtedly improve the Cardinals' lackluster defense. At the 72nd overall pick, the Cardinals struck gold with a player they had ranked inside their top 25, Josh Jones. Jones is an OT from Houston who was projected to be a late first-round pick but somehow fell to the 72nd pick for the Cardinals to swoop him up. This draft pick by the Cardinals just further indicates the Cardinals' commitment to helping Kyler Murray thrive in their air raid offense.
Overall, the Arizona Cardinals did an incredible job of assisting Kyler Murray offensively and improving the defense to compete in a tough NFC West. I expect Murray and the Cardinals to make a monumental jump this season to potentially be a fringe-playoff team after going 5-10-1 last season.
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