The Arizona Cardinals made the playoffs for the primary time in six seasons final yr and have been eradicated within the first spherical. It was the top of a tricky conclusion to the yr. They began the season 10-2 solely to complete 11-6 and get blown out by the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams.
They set out this offseason making an attempt to enhance whereas bringing again their core gamers from final season.
How have they performed? PFF gave offseason grades to all 32 NFL groups and the Cardinals received middling grades. They gave Arizona a C+ general, with below-average marks without cost company and a B- for the draft,
The information that DeAndre Hopkins can be suspended six video games as a result of violating the NFL’s coverage on performance-enhancing medicine (PEDs) doubtless threw a wrench into the workforce’s offseason plans and will have precipitated the commerce for Marquise Brown on draft night time. A primary-round decide — even a comparatively low one — for Brown is fairly wealthy given the contract he can be demanding quickly, however there’s good logic to consider he can be a extra impactful participant within the desert than he was for Baltimore. Brown was a star in school with Kyler Murray as his quarterback, and Murray led the league in big-time throw price final season (7.9%).
Many of the workforce’s focus in free company was in re-signing its personal gamers, although it didn’t hold Chandler Jones — the workforce’s greatest pass-rusher. It’s additionally straightforward to criticize the cash given to James Conner as a lapse in judgment. The yr Conner simply had is an argument towards paying him, not one in assist of the transfer.
Within the draft, Trey McBride provides to an already well-stocked tight finish room, after which the workforce set about including pass-rushers that may assist substitute the manufacturing misplaced in Jones’ departure. Total, Arizona might not have deteriorated over the offseason, however it doubtless didn’t get an entire lot higher, both.
That final assertion is perhaps key. They have been an 11-win playoff workforce and would have been higher have been it not for accidents to J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins, Marco Wilson and Robert Alford.
They didn’t really want to get an entire lot higher.
For Cardinals followers, the offseason has not been eventful. That doesn’t imply is has been a failure.
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