The Arizona Cardinals ended their 2019 season and now we can look at the playing time for every player on offense. In all, the Cardinals played 1,049 offensive snaps. Five players — quarterback Kyler Murray and four of the team’s starting offensive linemen — played in more than 95 percent of them.
Let’s look at the breakdown by position. The numbers come from Pro Football Reference.
Quarterback
Kyler Murray, 1,009 (96.3%); Brett Hundley, 40 (3.8%)
Murray started every game. Hundley played four snaps against the Saints when things got out of hand, five snaps in the season finale when Murray hit his funny bone and 31 in relief of Murray in Week 16 when he tweaked his hamstring.
Running back
David Johnson, 437 (41.7%); Kenyan Drake, 405 (38.6%); Chase Edmonds, 207 (19.8%); Zach Zenner, 20 (1.9%); Alfred Morris, 3 (0.3%)
D.J. Foster played 121 special teams snaps but never played a single offensive snap. Drake started the final eight games of the season and played in no fewer than 65% of the snaps in any of those games.
Johnson only played in 104 total snaps after Week 6.
Wide receivers
Larry Fitzgerald, 887 (84.6%); Christian Kirk, 791 (75.5%), Damiere Byrd, 455 (43.4%); KeeSean Johnson, 371 (35.4%); Trent Sherfield, 257 (25.4%); Pharoh Cooper, 225 (21.5%); Andy Isabella, 157 (15%); Michale Crabtree, 31 (3%)
Kirk was inactive three games because of an ankle sprain. Otherwise, he would have led the group in snaps played. Byrd’s playing time was odd. He was injured two games and then inactive for all of November but healthy.
Johnson’s playing time was interesting. He went from starting four games to being a healthy scratch in the final five games of the season. he was inactive all of December.
Sherfield only played 19 offensive snaps in the second half of the season.
Isabella’s use was puzzling all season.
Tight ends
Maxx Williams, 488 (46.6%); Charles Clay, 396 (37.8%); Dan Arnold, 59 (5.6%); Darrell Daniels, 47 (4.5%)
All of Arnold’s snaps came in the final three weeks of the season. He played more in three games than Daniels did the entire season. Williams slowly emerged into the team’s top tight end.
Offensive line
D.J. Humphries, 1,047 (99.9%); A.Q. Shipley, 1,042 (99.4%); Justin Pugh, 1,023 (97.6%); 1,002 (95.6%); Justin Murray, 845 (80.6%); Mason Cole, 211 (20.1%); Jordan Mills, 81 (7.7%); Joshua Miles, 3 (.3%)
This year was truly amazing for the offensive line. The only missed games were by the right tackle position. Humphries missed two plays because of injury. Sweezy came out a couple of times when he was hurt.
Cole got playing time at three positions over the final three weeks of the season, just to get some work in.
Pugh and Shipley never left a game because of injury.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 254
Ep. 253:
