Has Arizona done enough to close the gap in NFCW?

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CGI_Ram

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The NFCW is going to be tough again. All teams have hope, at least on paper.

The Cardinals are generally considered 3rd/4th best in the division if you read the major news channels... but 3rd/4th in this division is still no slouch.

Watt, Green, Hudson were big off-season moves.

Did their draft help close the gap?

Thoughts?




Arizona Cardinals

2021 draft grade: B (Pete Prisco)
Best pick: No. 49: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue (Jeff Kerr)
Most questionable pick: No. 16: Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa (Josh Edwards)
2022 mock draft picks: No. 14: Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M (Ryan Wilson)

SportsLine's 2021 win projection: 8
William Hill season win total: 8 (-140 over, +120 under)
William Hill odds to win division: +575
William Hill odds to win Super Bowl: +4000

The Cardinals were the most active team in free agency this offseason. They were able to land J.J. Watt and A.J. Green, two veterans that will immediately pay dividends toward a young roster. They acquired Rodney Hudson and signed Brian Winters to improve the offensive line and altered the secondary by signing safety Shawn Williams and cornerback Malcolm Butler -- better fits for the man-coverage scheme defensive coordinator Vance Joseph likes to run.

Arizona did allow Kenyan Drake, Patrick Peterson, and Haason Reddick to walk in free agency -- but the Cardinals are getting Chandler Jones back to significantly improve the pass rush. Collins will be the MIKE linebacker, which allows Jordan Hicks to become available for trade. The Cardinals will pair him with Isaiah Simmons in the middle as Markus Golden will play the outside with Jones. This defense is better than the unit that walked off the field in Week 17 last year.

Murray may have the best group of wideouts in the NFL with DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, and the rookie Moore as the top four. The Cardinals have a major problem at tight end, but that position isn't utilized in head coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Offensive line is a unit that improved, but can this unit run block for Chase Edmonds? The Cardinals will be throwing significantly in 2021.

Arizona is the wild card in this division. The Cardinals are good enough to steal the division title and will be a problem all year long. If the defense doesn't improve, they could be staring at another 8-8 record. Arizona needs a strong finish in order to make the playoffs, which the Cardinals are certainly capable of.



Arizona Cardinals draft picks 2021: Round-by-round selections​

Here is a 2021 NFL draft pick-by-pick breakdown for the Arizona Cardinals:

Round 1 (No. 16 overall) - Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa: He's massive at 6-5 and 259 pounds, but don't mistake him for an edge rusher. Collins, valedictorian of his high school class, is a heady off-ball linebacker who will team at the second level with last year's first-rounder, versatile Isaiah Simmons. Draft tracker

Round 2 (49) - Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue: Moore blazed an unofficial 4.29 40 at his pro day while posting 42½-inch vertical jump. He posted 114 catches and 14 TDs as a freshman in 2018 ... but injuries have kept him off the field quite a bit since. Small (5-7, 181) but very strong, he could be a dangerous weapon – also able to produce on jet sweeps or pitches – between veteran WRs DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green. Draft tracker

Round 4 (136, from Chiefs through Ravens) - Marco Wilson, CB, Florida

Round 6 (210, from Ravens) - Victor Dimukeje, DE, Duke

Round 6 (223, from Vikings; compensatory selection) - Tay Gowan, CB, Central Florida

Round 7 (243) - James Wiggins, S, Cincinnati

Round 7 (247, from Bears through Raiders) - Michal Menet, C, Penn State
 

dieterbrock

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No

Cards will suffer thru another miserable season and will fire Kingsbury at some point. That stupid ending of the Buffalo game aside, they lose 6 of last 8 games last year, and were trending down at that
 

ScotsRam

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I think going all in with over the hill vets and paying those guys on previous reputations will hold then back. JJ Watt 5 years ago? That would terrify me. Not now. AJ Green? Please.

Fundamentally though I remain unconvinced by their QB. He hasn't shown anything to me that would make me as high on his future prospects as everyone else seems to be. I just dont see it.
 

FrantikRam

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If I was a Cardinals fan, I could see being excited. Bolstered their front 7 and OL, added a weapon at WR.

But I don't think Hudson will fix their OL issues, and between Watt and Jones it feels like a lock that one will get hurt and miss time. Their CB room might be the worst in the NFL.

Their LBs should be really good and it sort of feels like they're copying what the Bucs defense was last year - great front 7, awful CBs.

They have talent - but I'm not a believer in Murray either - and until they actually compete with us I'm not taking them seriously
 

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“Short people, got nobody...short people got nobody....short people got no reason to live” ~ Kyler Murray
 

tomas

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Kyler Murray
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Kyler Murray is 5'7"- is this accurate?

I can't get over how tiny he looks compared to (Dwayne Haskins 6'3) (Tua Tagovailoa 6 ft 0)​


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Loyal

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{img}

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Kyler Murray is 5'7"- is this accurate?

I can't get over how tiny he looks compared to (Dwayne Haskins 6'3) (Tua Tagovailoa 6 ft 0)​


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}​


That side picture almost reminds you of an actual midget! lol
 

Selassie I

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Here is the answer to the question...


IMG_20201120_131647_751.jpg
 

Merlin

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Their defensive front added JJ Watt and Zaven Collins. I think that front needed to improve and they did. Collins is a stud we're gonna hate him.

They also added two corners to a terrible secondary in Wilson and Gowan. Big step in the right direction though you could wonder if they might need a year to fully settle in.

And they also added Rondale Moore and speed to their WR corps.

They look like a much improved team to me.
 

Loyal

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Their defensive front added JJ Watt and Zaven Collins. I think that front needed to improve and they did. Collins is a stud we're gonna hate him.

They also added two corners to a terrible secondary in Wilson and Gowan. Big step in the right direction though you could wonder if they might need a year to fully settle in.

And they also added Rondale Moore and speed to their WR corps.

They look like a much improved team to me.
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Elmgrovegnome

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Murray is always banged up by the last third of the season. So no. They are too dependent on his ability to run
 

Karate61

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Isn't Murray 5'10"? That's not tall for an NFL qb, but it's not a midget either. Russell Wilson is 5'11".
 

Giles

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The cards are just the cards until proven otherwise. Zero reason to fear them.
 

Mojo Ram

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Their defensive front added JJ Watt and Zaven Collins. I think that front needed to improve and they did. Collins is a stud we're gonna hate him.

They also added two corners to a terrible secondary in Wilson and Gowan. Big step in the right direction though you could wonder if they might need a year to fully settle in.

And they also added Rondale Moore and speed to their WR corps.

They look like a much improved team to me.
iu
 

Mojo Ram

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It's fun to rag on Keim & Kingsbury's Cardinals because both those guys are in over their heads, but i think Murray can be a pretty good QB with better coaching in a more diverse offense.

They're trying to (quickly) build a team around Murray on his rookie contract but they can't draft for shit, so they're essentially having to build with FA.

Arizona pro sports teams have always been an attractive destination for older players on the downside of their career...and so what you generally get is an old team with big names. Sometimes that works out but more often than not it doesn't.
 

CGI_Ram

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It sure feels like; however this season goes, will dictate the futures of both Murray and Kingsbury.

They need to win. Not sure you give them a 4th season if they don't.
 

Mojo Ram

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It sure feels like; however this season goes, will dictate the futures of both Murray and Kingsbury.

They need to win. Not sure you give them a 4th season if they don't.
They do need to win but IMO a 9 win 3rd place season could be enough for Bidwell to keep it together for another year. This is my hope.