It’s no secret that the Arizona Cardinals are facing an uphill battle to be competitive in the stacked NFC West, but they haven’t done themselves many favors either.
After finishing 3-14 last year, the Cardinals were in need of a desperate overhaul. And while adding running back Jeremiyah Love and some other pieces has improved the roster some, there are still plenty of questions regarding whether or not general manager Monti Ossenfort did enough. CBS’ Jordan Dajani ranked the Cardinals behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars in his countdown of the NFL’s worst offseasons.
“The Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon for Mike LaFleur, who spent the past three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Rams. However, we all know that offense is Sean McVay’s baby,” wrote Dajnai. “The last time we saw LaFleur in charge of an offense was in 2021 and 2022 with the Jets and Zach Wilson. They ranked in the bottom eight in the league in both total offense and scoring offense. His top offensive lieutenant in Arizona is Nathaniel Hackett, who was one of the worst one-and-done head coaches in NFL history.”
The Cardinals Offseason Has Been Marred By a Troubling QB Situation
Not only do the Cardinals have some concerns surrounding the staff, but the roster has one huge issue that still has yet to be resolved. Arizona is still without a starting quarterback as Jacoby Brissett continues his holdout, and it’s unclear if rookie Carson Beck would be ready to step in if needed.
“The Cardinals were also a team expected to be in the market for a new quarterback. Instead, they will just run it back with Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 last year,” continued Dajani. “Granted, he played better than Kyler Murray, but where would Brissett rank among starting NFL quarterbacks right now? He does have a dynamic new running mate in No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love, but I don’t think he can carry an entire offense by himself. It will take a collective effort from Love, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and much better play from a revamped offensive line.”
“It’s understood that Arizona is in a rebuild, but Monti Ossenfort should start updating his LinkedIn profile.”
Until the Cardinals can either work out a deal with Brissett, go all-in on Beck, or even target Brendan Sorsby in the NFL Supplemental Draft, the quarterback will continue to be the talk of training camp and beyond.
Could the Cardinals Look to Add Another Quarterback?
Perhaps the Cardinals go another route to solve their quarterback dilemma. As Adam Carlson of The Viking Age suggests, Arizona may check in on a potential J.J. McCarthy trade.
“This trade wouldn’t be much of a win for either team involved, but the Arizona Cardinals are a team that could use an injection of talent into their quarterback room. Still, this seems like it is Minnesota giving up and Arizona settling at a low price,” Carlson wrote.
McCarthy is in the midst of a heated battle with Kyler Murray for the Vikings starting job, and if the former Cardinal gets the nod, the Vikings could look to salvage something from McCarthy by dealing him for a couple of Day 3 picks.
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