ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler broke down all NFL teams into tiers this week.
He had the Arizona Cardinals in the “need postseason breakthrough” category along with the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills. Each of those teams made the playoffs but lost.
Arizona and Dallas fell in the Wild Card round. Those two franchises have combined for one postseason win since the 2015 season. Green Bay, Tennessee and Buffalo were eliminated in the Divisional round.
“The Cardinals were supposed to be past these late-season meltdowns. They loaded up on veteran leadership to instill toughness. And it wasn’t enough. Quarterback Kyler Murray looked lost in his postseason debut, and the Cardinals were handled on both sides of the ball against the Rams. Whatever gear Arizona had thought it had found, it’s time to search again.”
The Cardinals are in an odd spot.
This is not a typical young team that’s progressing. Quarterback Kyler Murray is still 24, but many of his key playmakers were veterans on expiring contracts like wide receivers Christian Kirk and A.J. Green, running backs Chase Edmonds and James Conner plus tight end Zach Ertz.
“The Cardinals are at their best when running the ball well, so re-signing James Conner, Chase Edmonds or both will be options. The team has decisions to make on several key veterans.”
The organization has to assess how close to last year’s team it wants to build for 2022 and how much flexibility it can create. The Cardinals have a lot of lucrative contracts on the books.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ extension is set to kick in, and his cap hit will be $25.05 million, according to Spotrac. Three of Arizona’s offensive linemen are set for a cap hit above $10 million each, as are defensive linemen J.J. Watt and Jordan Phillips.
Fowler gave Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury credit for adjusting his scheme from the Air Raid to more NFL-typical protections in the run and pass games. Kingsbury, though, is set for a critical season, one in which he will need to prove the train is headed in the right direction and has not hit a wall.
After a 34-11 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past season, winning in the playoffs in the only step forward the franchise can take.