For the Arizona Cardinals, the 2016 season was just a disaster. A team man, and I mean MANY, pundits and prognosticators picked to make it to the Super Bowl flamed out in a big way, not only finishing with the first losing record of head coach Bruce Arians’ tenure (7-8-1), but at no time during the season were the Cardinals ever above .500.
What started with a 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Week One never improved. Arizona beat just two teams that finished with winning records last season, the Washington Redskins and the Seattle Seahawks. They also tied with the Seahawks once.
In spite of all that, most of the talk this offseason is that the Cardinals will return to their winning ways in 2017 and contend for the NFC West. I’m not convinced.
First off, let’s see where their roster is heading into the preseason:
Free Agents Kept
Andre Ellington, Running Back
Free Agents Gained
Antoine Bethea, Safety, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers
Karlos Dansby, Outside Linebacker, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals
Phil Dawson, Kicker, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers
Jarvis Jones, Outside Linebacker, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Free Agents Lost
Calais Campbell, Defensive End, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Darren Fells, Tight End, signed with the Detroit Lions
Tony Jefferson, Safety, signed with the Baltimore Ravens
Kevin Minter, Outside Linebacker, signed with the Cincinnati Bengals
Alex Okafor, Outside Linebacker, signed with the New Orleans Saints
D.J. Swearinger, Safety, signed with the Washington Redskins
Earl Wattford, Offensive Guard, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1, Haason Reddick, Outside Linebacker, Temple
Round 2, Budda Baker, Safety, Washington
Round 3, Chad Williams, Wide Receiver, Grambling State
Round 4, Dorian Johnson, Offensive Guard, Pittsburgh
Round 5, Will Holden, Offensive Tackle, Vanderbilt
Round 5, T.J. Logan, Running Back, North Carolina
Round 6, Rudy Ford, Safety, Auburn
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Carson Palmer
RB: David Johnson
WR: Larry Fitzgerald
WR: John Brown
WR: J.J. Nelson
TE: Jermaine Gresham
LT: D.J. Humphries
RT: Jared Veldheer
LG: Mike Iupati
RG: Cole Toner
C: AQ Shipley
Offensive Outlook
This is a solid, if not spectacular group with the exception of running back David Johnson, who has emerged as one of the best backs in the game. Johnson is a complete player in the pass and run game and will likely go very high in any fantasy football draft your participate in. Up front, this is an NFL caliber offensive line with two legit elite players, both on the left side in Humprhies and Iupati. The rest are serviceable, but replaceable in a pinch. That’s why the Cardinals spent so much mid round draft capital on offensive line depth.
John Brown was silently a 1,000 yard receiver in 2015, but fell back to Earth last season, seeing his playing time take a hit too. He went from 65 catches to 39 catches and made just six starts. That would usually mean a guy is in the doghouse, but the Cardinals can’t afford any canine accomodations with a wideout group this shallow. Brown should see a lot more action on the outside. J.J. Nelson has the speed to stretch the field, but the Cardinals need him to become a more complete receiver. He made great strides in that area in his second season. The old man of the bunch is still the best, Larry Fitzgerald. The clock keeps ticking on Fitz and he keeps producing. Will this be the year the wheels finally come off? I’ll believe it when I see it.
The biggest issue the Cardinals face is at quarterback. Carson Palmer has re-invigorated his career in Arizona, but the same old Carson Palmer problems remain. The ill-advised decision, late-game picks and just a general desire to choke in big games. Arians has done nothing in the draft to address the future at this position and while Drew Stanton is a high-end quality back up quarterback, he’s not the future of the franchise. I’m not sure Carson Palmer is the present.
Proposed Defensive Starters
LDE: Robert Nkemdiche
NT: Corey Peters
RDT: Rodney Gunter
OLB: Chandler Jones
OLB: Markus Golden
ILB: Karlos Dansby
ILB: Deone Bucannon
CB: Patrick Peterson
CB: Brandon Williams
FS: Tyrann Mathieu
SS: Antoine Bethea
Defensive Outlook
While Haasan Reddick was taken high, don’t be surprised to see him used in relief and in certain spots in the first month of the season. My guess is he’ll be starting in place of Dansby by October. That’s not a knock on Dansby either. He’ll still get plenty of playing time in a linebacking corps that should be one of the best in the game.
With linebackers that could, you might be able to play with a sub-par defensive front. At least th Cardinals better hope so. Robert Nkemdiche never made a start as a rookie and only appeared in five games. He also got on Arians’ bad side with his work ethic. No word on if that’s changed this offseason, but Nkemdiche has the talent to play the position in the NFL. What he won’t be is Calais Campbell, who departed in free agency and left a gaping rushing lane on the left side of the defense.
The Cardinals stopped the Tony Jefferson bleeding by adding Antoine Bethea. This isn’t a push situation, but Bethea will at least work as a band aid. Second-year player Brandon Williams at cornerback better be working his ass off on the field and in the gym every single day because nobody, and I mean nobody is seeing more passes thrown his way than this poor kid. Patrick Peterson at the other corner is probably the best in the game. Tryann Matthieu at safety isn’t, but he’s up there in the Top Five.
GRADE: B-
The Cardinals took some key losses in free agency and did their best to mitigate them by signing talent and working a pretty good draft board. The problems that led to a 7-8-1 season remain, however, and I see no reason to believe 2017 will be any different.
O/U wins: 7.5
Preseason Schedule
Hal of Fame Game: Dallas Cowboys
Week 1: Oakland Raiders
Week 2: Chicago Bears
Week 3: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: at Detroit Lions
Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 3: Dallas Cowboys
Week 4: San Francisco 49ers
Week 5: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: At San Francisco 49ers
Week 10: Seattle Seahawks
Week 11: at Houston Texans
Week 12: Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 13: Los Angeles Rams
Week 14: Tennessee Titans
Week 15: at Washington Redskins
Week 16: New York Giants
Week 17: at Seattle Seahawks
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