This is an offseason of dumping on the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, they have stripped down the roster. They have a new head coach and general manager. Quarterback Kyler Murray is recovering from a torn ACL. They released receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
They have the lowest projected win total in the league for 2023 and regularly come in last in offseason power rankings.
So it should be no surprise that they are at the bottom of another ranking.
The latest is from ESPN. Seth Waldner took the top five-player course from each team and then ranked the teams. Of course, the Cardinals are dead last.
The five-player core is QB Kyler Murray, S Budda Baker, WR Marquise Brown, OL D.J. Humphries and OL Paris Johnson, the Cardinals’ top draft pick this year.
We’re including Murray in the core even though we’re also working under the assumption that he will miss most of the 2023 season due a torn ACL in his right knee. That Johnson and Humphries made this list speaks to the lack of roster strength on this rebuilding team.
We again see the assumption that Murray will miss “most of the 2023 season,” which is an interesting assumption.
But having two tackles in the core is evident of a lack of playmaking talent on the roster.
Linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins or pass rusher Cam Thomas hopefully can earn a spot in this core. That would improve their ranking for sure.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
