There’s no way around it: the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver room took a shot with the release of DeAndre Hopkins.
Getting Hopkins’ cap hit completely off the books in 2024 makes a lot of sense for new general manager Monti Ossenfort as he works on rebuilding Arizona’s roster.
That doesn’t mean the move doesn’t sting from a production and depth standpoint.
As it stands, the Cardinals’ wide receivers room features Hollywood Brown, Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch, Zach Pascal and rookie Michael Wilson.
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Behind them sit Andre Baccellia, Javon Wims, Brian Cobbs, Daniel Arias and Auden Tate in the pecking order.
Among those numerous pass catchers, Brown is far and away the team’s No. 1 option.
It’s not anything new for the wideout, who was viewed as the No. 1 WR in Baltimore and served as Arizona’s top option with Hopkins sidelined with a six-game PED suspension to start last season. He won’t just stick on the outside, either, thanks to his ability to move into the slot.
Where Brown needs to elevate his game is from a consistency standpoint, especially entering a contract year.
Starting all but one game for the Ravens in 2021, Brown surpassed the 100-yard mark just three times. He still managed to set career highs in receiving yards (1,008) and receptions (91) as he fought for targets with tight end Mark Andrews within a run-happy Baltimore offense.
But Brown also posted seven games of 44 yards or less.
His first year in Arizona saw him rack up 709 yards across 12 games played. And for a bit, he did find that consistency. Playing with Oklahoma product Kyler Murray, Brown recorded at least 68 yards in a five-game stretch from Sept. 18 through Oct. 16 before a layoff due to injury.
Arizona’s quarterback injuries with Murray’s and Colt McCoy’s injuries hampered his production in the final six games Brown appeared in.
As for Moore, availability is going to be key for a player who has the traits to flip a game on its head at any given moment.
The wide receiver is coming off back-to-back seasons where injuries forced him to miss a total of 12 games.
Dortch on the other hand, hasn’t been able to stay on the field for other reasons.
Despite flashing his ability last season, former head coach Kliff Kingsbury failed to get him in the mix on a consistent basis.
When Moore was out with his injury issues, Dortch stepped up to the occasion behind 444 receiving yards and a touchdown on 47 catches across nine games in place of his teammate. He posted games of at least 80 yards and nine catches thrice.
But with Moore healthy, Dortch took a noticeable backseat offensively, catching just five balls for 23 yards and a score in the seven starts Moore made in 2022.
Dortch put enough on the tape to warrant an exclusive free agent re-signing with the team. We shall see if that means more consistent playing time for the wideout under a new staff and new front office.
But under-the-radar names that could benefit greatly from a Hopkins-less wide receivers room are Pascal and Wilson.
Two of the bigger wide receivers on the roster, both standing 6-foot-2, the duo is likely to see more work where Hopkins primarily played on the outside.
Pascal heads over to Arizona after playing mostly in the slot and on special teams for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.
But before that, Pascal was a regular for the Colts for most of his four-year stint in Indianapolis. He’s also got extended time on the outside, having played primarily out wide from 2018-19. In his 32 games played between the two seasons (17 starts), Pascal finished with 68 catches for 875 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged nearly 13 yards per reception during that time.
The wide receiver’s familiarity with head coach Jonathan Gannon from their time together in Indianapolis and Philadelphia, in addition to the leadership qualities Pascal brings to the locker room, makes him a viable option to handle more work on the outside.
Wilson is right there, too.
Wilson has a shot to make a greater offensive impact as a rookie with Hopkins now a free agent.
The former Standford Cardinal did most of his damage on the outside during the course of five collegiate seasons.
When healthy, Wilson has proven he can stretch the field, posting 418 yards and four touchdowns on 26 catches across six games as a senior last year.
He’ll need to prove his skillset can translate to the NFL level, but he is at the very least another outside option for Arizona to tinker with post-Hopkins.