This is The Gridiron Review’s Arizona Cardinals 2023 Offseason Team Breakdown. We provide you with all things you need to know about the Cardinals heading into FA and the draft. We also provide our thoughts on the needs of the team and how we think they can be addressed!
Arizona Cardinals 2022 Record: 4-13
Arizona Cardinals Salary Cap(According to Spotrac): $13,587,247
Notable Free Agents(According to Spotrac):
- Greg Dortch, WR
- Rodney Hudson, C
- Justin Pugh, OG
- Will Hernandez, OG
- Kelvin Beachum, OT
- Zach Allen, DE
- Byron Murphy, CB
- Antonio Hamilton, CB
Team Needs: RB, WR, OL, DL, ILB, CB
3 Free Agent Targets(In No Order):
- Drew Lock, QB
- Rashaad Penny, RB
- Javon Hargrave, DL
Arizona Cardinals First Round Pick(s): Pick 3
3 Draft Prospect Fits/Targets:
- Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
- Paris Johnson Jr, OT/G, Ohio State
- Will Anderson Jr, EDGE, Alabama
Our Cardinals Ideal Offseason Plans/Thoughts:
- The QB room doesn’t necessarily need to be addressed as you paid Kyler big money last offseason; however, he has a torn ACL. We like Drew Lock as a fit and think he should still be given a chance. He is going to look for a place where he can put some film together for teams to look at. Lock doesn’t run like Kyler, but he can still run the ball. He should be a good fit here next season.
- It seems like the Cardinals think James Connor is an every down back. We just don’t believe that. Connor will do his best work if he has someone to take some of the load off his shoulders. Rashaad Penny would be perfect here because he should be a cheap option given his injury riddled past, and it could bring out the best in both backs.
- If the DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors are real, the Cardinals are going to need to address the WR room. Hollywood seems to get hurt just about every season now, and we don’t view him as a WR1. Outside of that all they really have is Rondale Moore and Robby Anderson who never got going after the trade. Expect the Cardinals to make some kind of move at WR, particularly for a taller WR.
- The Cardinals offensive line isn’t awful, but 4 out of 5 of their starters are FA’s and 3 of them are 32 or older. It’s not that you can’t bring them back, but you should probably start considering the youth movement up front. A ton of their depth is also hitting the FA market, so getting depth should be prioritized as well.
- The Cardinals best defensive lineman, JJ Watt, just retired. They have some decent pieces, but they need a difference maker up front. It is believed that Hargrave priced himself out of Philly, but it is also believed he could be looking for a bigger role. He could follow his DC to Arizona and become the new anchor of their DL.
- Zaven Collins has been pretty good for the Cardinals, but pretty much everyone else in the room is hitting FA. It’s probably not vital to address it early in the draft, but they could draft a mid-late round backer and sign a veteran in FA.
- NON-NEGOTIABLE- RESIGN BYRON MURPHY! There’s not a CB to take at pick 3, and the FA CB group is not great. You need to bring back Murphy… it has to be prioritized. On top Murphy you need to either draft one on day 2 or sign a FA. Bradberry could be a thought here with Gannon taking over.
- UPDATE: Robbie Anderson has been released. Whether DHop gets traded or not, the Cardinals need help at WR.