The new league year is coming next month and the Arizona Cardinals are preparing to take the next step in their rebuild. They are coming off a 4-13 season in which they won three of eight games with Kyler Murray back from injury.
They face a number of questions this offseason as they look ahead to the offseason.
What are those questions?
Will Kyler Murray reach his ceiling again?
We have seen an MVP-level of play from Murray in the past. After coming back last season from his torn ACL, he moved like a guy who never got hurt. Statistically, it took a little time to play at a level that looked good.
However, in his final three games, he was great.
The question is whether that is his baseline for play and whether he can reach that MVP-caliber ceiling next season. The Cardinals are counting on more growth from him.
What's next for Budda Baker?
Baker enters the final year of his contract in 2024. He wanted an extension last year and requested a trade when it didn’t happen. After getting a small raise and full guarantees for 2023, he now is back to no guarantees and no extension. His stance hasn’t likely changed, so either he will get a new deal or he might get traded.
Trading him is the single-most impactful thing the Cardinals can do cap-wise this offseason and they are so far from being a good defense. They could use the money saved to add talent at multiple positions.
Will they cut D.J. Humphries?
Humphries tore his ACL at the end of the year and probably won’t be able to play until at least December. He is still under contract through 2025 but cutting him could save around $9 million.
Would they cut a team captain who is hurt? They can.
With him hurt, they now must address left tackle, or at least move Paris Johnson there and then find a new right tackle.
Will they give James Conner an extension?
Conner enters the final year of his contract with no guaranteed money remaining and is coming off a career season, rushing for 1,040 yards in 13 games. He had four 100-yard games last season and was their best offensive player all season.
Will they reward him?
Will the Cardinals win the draft again?
General manager Monti Ossenfort made a splash with his first draft last year, making trades that added picks in last year’s draft and in this year’s.
They will have at least 11 selections in the draft this year and could make moves to add picks in the future.
Will that happen again or will they focus more on this year’s draft?
What will they do at receiver?
The Cardinals seem to have mostly everything in place on offense except for receivers they can trust. That will have to be an offseason priority. Will they re-sign Marquise Brown? Will they target a premier receiver in free agency? Will they draft one early?
It is the receiver that generates the most excitement.
Can they make defensive improvements?
The Cardinals were awful defensively in 2023. They struggled at every level of the defense. They had injuries.
They had only one sack in their final six games.
What will they do so they aren’t awful again?
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