Arizona Cardinals Offseason WorkBook 2019

Arizona Cardinals

2018 Record: (3-13) 4^th NFC West

2018 Season Recap:

Offense

Points: 14.1 (32^nd)

Yards: 241.6 (32^nd)

Pass Yards: 157.7 (32^nd)

Rush Yards: 83.9 (32^nd)

Defense

Points: 26.6 (26^th)

Yards: 358.8 (20^th)

Pass Yards: 203.9 (4^th)

Rush Yards: 154.9 (32^nd)

Looking back at the 2018 offseason, the outlook and potential for this edition of the Cardinals appeared a lot better on paper than how it all transpired on the field. A new head coach (Steve Wilks) teamed with a first round quarterback (Josh Rosen); fit with the existing pieces on this team had the prospects on target for at minimum an 8-8 record.

Like any team trying to groom a rookie quarterback, signing a veteran to help ease the transition, Sam Bradford was brought in but ultimately failed forcing the Cards to roll with Rosen though under prepared. When we review the outcome of the season, Bradford was only one of many issues that plagued this campaign for Arizona. Offensive play calling was an absolute disaster under Mike McCoy which led to his firing during the season.

Not using David Johnson in a full blow bell fashion was head scratching to say the least. Normally with any young quarterback, running the ball to remove pressure is front and center, but this never came to fruition under Wilks. The underwhelming offensive production could also be pointed squarely on the inadequacies of that offensive line. Continuing to struggle throughout the season, the lack of anything special on offense also led to Rosen being sacked a whopping 45 times. Statistically, this was one of, if not the worst offensive seasons for the Cardinals.

On the defensive side of the ball, tribulation arose when their star defensive back (Patrick Peterson) requested a trade from the desert feeling this ship was moving in the wrong direction. Management untimely chose to keep Patrick ignoring that request. The Pass defense was the lone bright spot for this club as they managed to secure a top five ranking in terms of pass defense. As a whole, this defensive group isn’t as bad as the statistics show, but do require refinement in certain areas. It was a losing battle for this group from day one seeing zero offensive assistance throughout the season.       

When all was said and done, a league worst record was the outcome and firing of the coaching staff became a formality.

2019 Offseason Workbook:

The Coaching Staff

Having seen more than enough of Steve Wilks after only one season on the job, General Manager Steve Keim retracted his previous endorsement of Wilks in hopes to save his position with the team. Wasting no time and following the leagues evolution, Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury, a spread offense prodigy as viewed in some coaching circles.  

While the resume for Kingsbury isn’t anything over exuberant, he does have a great deal of skill knowing how to employ wide-sets with good levels of production. Arizona clearly showed high levels of desperation, as they pilfered the young coach from the grasp of the USC Trojans who denied any NFL club from conducting interviews with their newly signed offensive coordinator. Knowing that NFL head coaching positions are scarce, Kingsbury resigned his post at USC after one month to field the interview and become the new head coach of the Cardinals. 

Looking to be the primary play caller this season, Kingsbury elected to not hire an offensive coordinator at this point. During his tenure with Texas Tech, defensive prowess severally lacked leading to skeptical opinions for this hire. Understanding his deficiencies as a head coach, Kliff hired experienced defensive mind (Vance Joseph) to lead the defensive side. Finding young bright offensive minds to lead has become a popular notion in the NFL, and the Cardinals believe they found their man.

The Offense

When we review the Cardinals offense as a whole, this group shouldn’t have been a bad as what we witnessed. The offensive line does employ a plethora of big names that should’ve been able to open holes and protect their young quarterback. With two of the five starters on the offensive line potentially heading to free agency, more work needs to be done on that front.

Josh Rosen has to take a great deal of blame for the past season and needs to find his game with giant leaps forward if he plans to remain an NFL starting quarterback. With another new head coach and offensive system ready to be installed, rumors have risen suggesting it’s not out of the question for Kingsbury to search for a quarterback he hand picks removing Rosen from the roster all together. At this point anything is on the table to help this team improve.

Good news came early on the Larry Fitzgerald front as the future hall of famer has decided to return for yet another season removing his free agent possibilities. Outside of Fitzgerald, the Cardinals do employ a decent group of pass catchers with up and coming star Christian Kirk potentially ready to take the lead role after Larry retires. Adding depth to the receiving core could be something the Cards look at to become more explosive.  

With a new offense on the horizon, a fresh outlook for Arizona’s run game and David Johnson should also see an uptick. Implementing a spread look should limit the amount of stacked boxes Johnson sees, while returning his responsibilities to be a heavy producer in the pass game. A rebound season could be on the docket for DJ with Kingsbury running the show.

The Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, the club is led by Chandler Jones and Patrick Peterson along with many others that are making a name for themselves.

There is no question the strength of this unit is the secondary as Budda Baker proved he is indeed the real deal. The Cards snagged DJ Swearinger off waivers from the Redskins, which could become a deadly factor in run support this season, which was a major issue for this defense. Patrick Peterson has retracted his trade request now that a viable defensive coordinator (Vance Joseph) has found his way onto the team.

The Cardinals defensive line is a stout group of pass rushers with limited upside in stopping the run. Finding more traditional run stuffers should be on the menu with potentially moving Robert Nkemdiche to a more prevalent role as a rush end. While the defensive line has its upside, the line backing core does leave something to be desired and should be a prime focus this offseason. Haason Reddick has underwhelmed to start his career but should receive greater tutelage under Joseph.    

Many solid pieces to play with on this side, but stacking a team strength should be a top priority.

Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap

The Cardinals have a large list of players (23 total) entering the free agent market or holding some form of restricted status.

Starting with former free agent signee, Mike Iupati was something of a bust since coming to Arizona and should be sent packing once the market opens. Priority players that should at least garner interest to return are OLB Deone Bucannon & OLB Gerald Hodges. These players have youth and skill on their side which could be exploited under a new defensive system.  

JJ Nelson & Tre Boston are intriguing players that more than likely won’t return to the desert but do have a good level of value for the amount of money they will fetch. Together, both players held roughly 2.12 million against the cap last season and would be bargains with slight raises coming on the books.

Arizona does possess a healthy amount of money under the cap (+46,854,446), and could retain more if they chose to cut-bait with a few rostered players. DJ Humphries currently holds 9.6 million against the books with no dead money attached, but would leave a giant hole at left tackle with no replaceable option looming. Jermaine Gresham, Antoine Bethea, and Corey Peters have cut appeal which could potentially save the Cards roughly 18 million, with holding only 9 million in dead cap.

The NFL Draft

This draft will be exciting for the Cardinals fan base as their team holds the first overall selection in 2019. This pick could move in a number of directions including trading down to secure more picks to help the rebuild process move quicker.

Currently, Arizona holds 7 picks in this year’s draft with an extra 6^th pick and no 7^th. With a draft ripe of defensive lineman, the Cards may be inclined to help Chandler Jones with a true edge rushing partner, but we would definitely entertain a move down the board while securing more top end picks to help this club move forward.