The Arizona Cardinals will begin their season against the Detroit Lions on September 8 and already there seems to be an optimism to the start of the season. The new regime of head coach Kliff Kingsbury and first overall draft pick quarterback Kyler Murray has instilled some new life into a team that was one of the bottom dwellers in the NFL last year. While regression was expected for the team in 2018, the Cardinals finished with a miserable 3-13 record and finished at the bottom of the league in many offensive categories. While 2018 was a year that Cards fans would like to forget, 2019 seems to be a year where hope seems to be circulating around Glendale. The Cardinals will look to improve from an abysmal 2018 season and here are five things that they can do to ensure that 2019 is a successful one:
1. Add to the offensive line in free agency
A quarterback is nothing without the offensive line to help keep him upright. This rings even more true for a rookie quarterback who is still getting used to the style and gaps of how offensive linemen block and how pass rushers will attack the line. The Cardinals offensive line allowed the seventh-most sacks with 52 and the fourth-most QB hits with 109. Former Cardinals QB Josh Rosen almost never stood a chance last year as he also lacked the athleticism to extend plays and escape from pass rushers to compensate for the weak line play. With Kyler Murray behind center, that most certainly will change as his speed will buy him some extra time. It will not be enough, as signing a perennial Pro Bowl guard like T.J. Lang and another solid option like Josh Sitton will help bolster the offensive line. Per Spotrac, The Cardinals have only $6,372,889 in cap space so any signing will have to be a low salary, high guarantee money kind of signing. The Cardinals must do what it takes to protect their franchise quarterback. Cheaper, solid options are also available in Jermey Parnell and Joe Barksdale if Lang does not sign. While we are on the subject of offensive lines, this leads up to No. 2 on our list.
2. Utilize Kyler Murray’s athleticism to buy some time
As it’s been covered before, the Cardinals offensive line won’t be mistaken for the Patriots’ or the Ravens’ unit anytime soon. However, the Cardinals offensive line blocking for a quarterback like Josh Rosen, whose strength is not at all about running, is much different than blocking for a quarterback like Kyler Murray whose speed led him to rush for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns. Using Murray’s legs will be essential in lightening the load of a subpar offensive line, as certain rollout and option plays can be developed for him. He is also very dangerous as a thrower compiling 4,361 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns with only seven interceptions in his senior year at Oklahoma. That dual-threat ability will be highly important in making sure that he has the right amount of time to make plays downfield.
3. Change David Johnson’s running style
Now before anyone gets riled up, this does not mean that D.J. is not still one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL. However, the way he ran last year led to a disappointing season in a myriad of reasons why the Cardinals season didn’t go well. One of which was the fact that he relied too much on juke moves and gap patience before or while he was ALREADY in the gap. This allowed the linebackers who may have been out of position to make an easy play on Johnson and bring him down for minimal gains. While Steve Wilks and Mike McCoy’s offensive scheme did him zero favors, the Cardinals offensive line actually did a decent job creating lanes for DJ. However, DJ has to run with more decision and commitment to the hole and that 3.6 yards per carry will see itself rise. Another thing is that there needs to be a commitment to using him a lot more than they did last year. His receiving numbers were way down last year to the tune of only 76 targets and 50 receptions for 446 receiving yards. His usage from the coaching staff was so inconsistent that Steve Wilks painfully admitted that he needed to be more “creative” in using David Johnson. You should never have to question using your best offensive weapon especially at the time when you have a rookie quarterback who needs all the help he could possibly get. The Cardinals need to spam him the ball in a way that was reminiscent of 2016, where he led the league in scrimmage yards with 2,118 total yards, a whopping 120 targets, 80 receptions and 879 receiving yards. Having DJ at top form and used correctly will go a long way with helping the progression of not just Kyler Murray, but the entire offense.
4. Sign some experienced corners to alleviate the six-game loss of Patrick Peterson.
Patrick Peterson has been one of the best defensive backs in the league for his entire seven-year career. Unfortunately, he will be suspended for six games due to a PED violation and his absence will surely be felt. However, there are still some attractive short-term options on the free agent board that could potentially serve as suitable stopgaps for a Cardinals defense that ranked in the middle-of-the-pack for total yards allowed, but ranked top-five in QB hits and sacks. If they Cardinals choose to, they could sign a guy like Orlando Scandrick who has been great in small fill-in roles with the Redskins and Chiefs. He also wouldn’t command a lot as far as salary as he made a total of $2,415,000 with the Chiefs and Redskins. Other decent options include guys like Sam Shields and Captain Munnerlyn who are experienced and established veterans. Because there is still a ton of talent on defense, whichever cornerback that they sign would not need to be relied on heavily as the Cardinals still maintain an elite pass rush and star safeties in Budda Baker and D.J Swearinger. Whoever they pick, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will know exactly what to do.
5. COMPLETELY overhaul last year’s playbook.
As it’s been touched on before, the Cardinals offense did not do well last year. The play-calling was indicative of having a rookie behind center as the plays consisted of extremely simple short throws and quick reads to try and ease Josh Rosen into the NFL style. It did not work as defenses quickly adjusted and those simple reads were not as open. Mix that in with a porous offensive line and you have a recipe for sacks and a misuse of the downfield prowess of Christian Kirk. Kliff Kingsbury is an immediate upgrade from Steve Wilks and Mike McCoy from an offensive perspective as he had success with young QBs like Patrick Mahomes and was responsible for some of the highest scoring outputs at Texas Tech. The playbook needs to be representative of Kyler Murray strengths while also playing to David Johnson’s strengths as well. Kyler Murray throws extremely well on the run and while outside of the pocket and the RPO(run-pass option) is starting to become a staple in the league now, even while being run by QBs who are not known for being mobile(think Eagles 2017 Super Bowl run with Nick Foles and Alex Smith). Kyler Murray would thrive in a playbook filled with read-style options and rollouts as they would make use of his speed and ability to throw downfield. The offensive line should switch to a zone-blocking style scheme as DJ is an incredible one-cut running back that can take advantages of those gaps with his speed, instincts and receiving ability. Whatever they decide to do, they should not be too overly cautious with their franchise QB. Kyler Murray, David Johnson and Christian Kirk are very dynamic weapons and should be schemed appropriately.
What do you think the Cardinals can do to improve going into the 2019 NFL season? Let us know in the comments!
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