After a stretch a tough games, the Arizona Cardinals will enjoy a much-needed bye week. The Cardinals are 3-7-1 on the year but have looked like a completely different team from last year where they finished a disappointing 3-13.
The Cardinals head into the bye coming off of a competitive but heartbreaking loss to their NFC West division rivals in the San Francisco 49ers who are tied for the best record in the league at 9-1.
Although the Cards will head into the bye week with a loss, there is a sense of encouragement and positive vibes around the team. Quarterback Kyler Murray has taken the NFL by storm and has provided the team with a sense of swagger and leadership.
While the short-term relief of the bye week is a welcome sight, there are still some questions that the Cardinals will need to answer. Here are three burning questions that the Cardinals will need to address during the bye week:
1. Figuring out the third wide receiver spot
The Arizona Cardinals offense has basically done a complete turnaround from last season.
Last year, the Cardinals offense ranked at the bottom of nearly every offensive category. This year, the Cardinals find themselves ranked at No. 16 in the league in scoring with 22.5 points per game.
Part of the reason for the increased success of the Cardinals’ offense comes from a receiving core that has made positive strides due to improved quarterback play. Larry Fitzgerald is enjoying another solid year in his 16th season in the NFL as he sits at No. 33 in receiving yards with 593 on 55 receptions. His 55 receptions are good for No. 15 in the NFL. Second-year receiver Christian Kirk has taken a giant step forward with 508 receiving yards in only eight games played due to an ankle injury.
However, the question is that who could take over as the third receiver and add extra depth to the passing game. The Cardinals have not been able to find consistent production and snaps from the slot receiver spot.
Rookie Andy Isabella was thought to be the receiver that could take over at the third spot, however, he has only played 13.6 percent of the team’s snaps and it doesn’t seem that coach Kliff Kingsbury has any immediate plans of increasing his playing time even after recent production.
KeeSean Johnson has the most snaps at the third receiver spot coming in at 50.8 percent, however, the production hasn’t been there. Johnson only has 21 receptions on 187 yards and no touchdowns. Isabella only has seven catches but still has 180 yards currently on the season with a limited amount of snaps.
Damiere Byrd has only two receptions for seven yards on a 42.8 percent snap share, Pharaoh Cooper is more of a return specialist and Trent Sherfield hasn’t fared much better on 34.2 percent of snaps.
Quarterback Kyler Murray has shown that he can effectively throw the football. Finding that dynamic third receiver adds an entirely new dimension to the passing attack.
2. Figuring out if Vance Joseph is the answer moving forward
It has been a tough year for the Arizona Cardinals defense.
First, they suffered an untimely suspension to All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson for six games for a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Second, their reserve cornerback Robert Alford suffered a leg injury early in the season and was placed on IR with no determined timetable to return.
The Cardinals have some serious talent at some positions. Linebacker Jordan Hicks currently leads the NFL in tackles with 111 including three interceptions which ties New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins for most at the position. Safety Budda Baker also ranks at No. 3 with 96 tackles. Linebacker Chandler Jones leads the NFL in sacks with 12.5 and could be a lock for the 2020 Pro Bowl. Rookie Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. has been highly serviceable while being thrust into the fire due to the Alford injury and Peterson’s suspension. Murphy Jr. only has a 50.5 grade from Pro Football Focus but he made their list of top-25 cornerbacks in Week 5.
The problem is that the talent has not translated into a talented team defense.
The Cardinals currently rank No. 29 in scoring defense allowing 28.8 points per game and No. 31 in yards per game allowed. Their weakness is defending tight ends where they have allowed 846 yards and 12 touchdowns to the position which is good for worst in the league.
That all lies on the plate of Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
The Cardinals defense is consistently missing assignments and looking confused as to who they are supposed to guard. This leads to many of the big plays given up by the defense as they also lead the NFL with the most 20 yard or more plays allowed with 50.
While there are no particular changes imminent, if the Cardinals fail to adjust to offenses with the talent that they have, this might be a one-and-done year for the former Denver Broncos head coach.
3. What is David Johnson’s role moving forward?
Cardinals running back David Johnson has been a major staple of the Cardinals’ offense since 2016 where he led the league in scrimmage yards with 2,113 total yards. However, things have changed in the past few weeks.
First, Johnson would pick up an ankle injury after a game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. He would then play against the New York Giants in the following week but would only run one time for two yards with Kliff Kingsbury announcing that Johnson was available only in an “emergency situation”. His backup Chase Edmonds would go on to have a career day rushing for 126 yards and three touchdowns in a Cardinals victory. Edmonds would then suffer an injury of his own against the Saints missing time due to a hamstring ailment.
Second, the Cardinals traded for former Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake for a 2020 conditional draft pick after it was deemed that David Johnson would miss some time. Drake’s first game with the Cardinals in Week 9 was a memorable one as he would run for 110 yards and a touchdown on one of the best defenses in the league in the San Francisco 49ers.
David Johnson would return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 after logging multiple full practices but was completely ineffective rushing for only two yards and catching one pass for eight yards. Kenyan Drake would then see the rest of the snaps for the remainder of the game.
It is safe to question if the Cardinals truly have a future plan for David Johnson at this point. Johnson only saw eight offensive snaps against the 49ers while Kenyan Drake saw 60 snaps, good for 90 percent of the offensive snaps.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury hasn’t formally declared David Johnson as “being benched” but a sharp drop in snaps in that matter does not bode well for a running back that was paid(3-year, $39 million contract signed last season) and seen as a franchise running back. It appears that David Johnson will be leaned on to back up Kenyan Drake while he attempts to regain his form.
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