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Arizona Cardinals Offseason Needs: Skill Players and Pass Defenders

By Andrew Fischer

Jan 17, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles out of the pocket against the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game.Nfc Wild Card Playoff Cardinals Vs Rams
Jan 17, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles out of the pocket against the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game.Nfc Wild Card Playoff Cardinals Vs Rams /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 02: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals carries the ball during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 02: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals carries the ball during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Outlook

At times, the Arizona Cardinals looked like the best team in the NFL last year. They had the best regular season road record in the league at 8-1. Their pressure defense had offenses either going backward or turning the ball over for much of the first half of the season and Kyler Murray looked like a potential MVP candidate.

But for whatever reason, a season that began in such a promising way gradually turned into something enormously disappointing. Much of the passive aggressive drama and sniping this offseason likely centered on who deserved the blame for the team’s playoff debacle against the Rams.

Many will justifiably blame Kingsbury. His teams have had a bad habit of starting strong and fading late. To wit, as the Cardinals head coach, Kingsbury is 15-5-1 in games 1-7, and 9-19 the rest of the season. It was a problem for him at his previous job, Texas Tech as well as he was 27-15 in games 1-7 and 8-25 the rest of the way. If your counting, that’s a combined 42-20-1 in games 1-7 and 17-44 thereafter. That’s a disturbing trend, and one that the Cardinals brass cannot take lightly or ignore.

But those who blame Kyler Murray for Arizona’s terrible playoff loss to the Rams would have a point too, as he played atrociously, throwing for a paltry 137 yards on a measly 4 yards per attempt and earning a QBR of 7.9 out of 100. If you watched the game, it was somehow worse than the numbers indicated for Murray. He looked skittish and nervous out there, hurriedly throwing passes when pressured that were either off target or too hot for nearby receivers to handle, causing the offense to sputter and eventually break down.

Some of the problems were offensive line related, and Arizona will have to decide whether or not they want to prioritize their offensive interior over the playmakers on the outside and in the backfield. With a likely massive extension looming after this coming season for former number one overall pick Kyler Murray, the 2022 NFL offseason will afford Arizona a unique opportunity to fortify their roster without being hamstrung by their star quarterback’s monumental cap hit.

Regardless of what the Arizona Cardinals front office decides, it’s safe to say that this offseason will have wide-ranging and long-lasting effects on the success of this team, its coach, and its quarterback.

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