The Cardinals’ 2021 season was a tale of two halves. They looked excellent through the first few weeks, with an explosive offense and Kyler Murray in MVP form. In a repeat of 2020, things collapsed in the second half of the season. Whilst they still finished 11-6 and made the playoffs, they lost four of their last five games, including falling to Detroit and Seattle. They were easily tossed aside by the Rams in the wild card round, losing 34-11. The pressure will be on Kliff Kingsbury to do more in 2022.
Offseason additions and losses
The Cardinals didn’t have much cap room to work with this offseason so their free agency moves were limited. They acquired former Giants guard Will Hernandez on a one-year, $1.2 million deal but there was little else outside that. The rest of their activity focused on re-signing their own, with new contracts for the likes of James Conner, Zach Ertz, and A.J. Green. They also made headlines with a five-year, $230 million extension for Kyler Murray.
There were still some big departures though. Chase Edmonds left to join Miami, whilst Christian Kirk reset the wide receiver market in his move to Jacksonville. On defense Jordan Hicks left to join Minnesota, but the biggest loss of all was Chandler Jones. Jones has been one of the bedrocks of the Cardinals’ defense since joining the team in 2016, but they chose to let him walk and land in Las Vegas.
2022 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 2.55 | Trey McBride – TE, Colorado State |
| 3.87 | Cameron Thomas – EDGE, San Diego State |
| 3.100 | Myjai Sanders – EDGE, Cincinnati |
| 6.201 | Keaontay Ingram – RB, USC |
| 6.215 | Lecitus Smith – IOL, Virginia Tech |
| 7.244 | Christian Matthew – CB, Valdosta State |
| 7.256 | Jesse Luketa – EDGE, Penn State |
| 7.257 | Marquis Hayes – IOL, Oklahoma |
The Cardinals’ draft strategy has often been called into question during the Steve Keim era and 2022 was no different. They entered the offseason with two major weaknesses on the roster, one being the offensive line and the other being cornerback. They made little effort to fix them with these picks. Instead they traded their first round pick for Marquise Brown and took a tight end with their next pick. The selections of Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders in the third round were good, but both are likely depth options for the foreseeable future.
Offense
This offense is the Kyler Murray show. Whilst the debate over the merits of his new contract rumbles on, there is little doubt that he has been a very good player for the Cardinals since he was drafted in 2019. Over the last two seasons he ranks 11th in EPA per dropback, ahead of players like Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme asks his quarterback to produce much of the magic of this offense, but he has shown time and time again that he can create something out of nothing.
For better or worse, the Cardinals have also built this offense like a fantasy football team. DeAndre Hopkins will miss time, but remains one of the league’s better receivers when he is on the field. The decision to trade a first round pick for Marquise Brown was questionable to say the least given that he hits free agency in 2023, but he is a good fit in their Air Raid scheme. Rondale Moore and A.J. Green are nice depth options, whilst Zach Ertz is still a solid tight end. In James Conner they have a strong running back capable of picking up the hard yardage.
That approach to roster building might seem good on paper, but it has consistently cost the Cardinals in reality. Their unwillingness to invest in their offensive line continues to cause problems and whilst Kyler is excellent at evading free rushers, this isn’t a sustainable approach. Their scheme is also painfully static and Kliff Kingsbury’s unwillingness to make adjustments keeps costing them at crucial times. In 2021 they ranked third in DVOA through Week 9 before dropping all the way to 22nd in the second half of the season.
Defense
Whilst the Cardinals’ offense might be a little old fashioned and predictable, the same cannot be said for the defense. In Vance Joseph they have one of the game’s best defensive coordinators who has consistently delivered a unit that is better than the sum of its parts. Joseph’s innovative use of different personnel packages causes havoc for opposing offenses and helped them to finish sixth in EPA per play in 2021.
The worry for 2022 is whether he can continue to exceed expectation. The departure of Chandler Jones is huge and will have a big impact on this defensive front. It leaves JJ Watt and Markus Golden as the two starting edge rushers. Whilst both are obviously talented players, their inability to stay on the field for a full season is concerning. If they aren’t able to consistently win in the trenches that could spell disaster for the secondary.
Arizona have Budda Baker at safety, but the secondary more widely is a problem. Their projected boundary corners for 2022 are the most concerning. On one side they have Marco Wilson, a fourth rounder from the 2021 Draft who allowed the fourth highest passer rating amongst cornerbacks last season. On the other they have Antonio Hamilton, who has never been a full-time starter in his six years in the NFL. The only reason this unit weren’t a disaster last season was that their front was generating plenty of pressure. If that isn’t the case this season things could get rough.
Prediction
The Cardinals’ success or lack thereof will be entirely on Kyler Murray’s shoulders this season. Outside of quarterback this isn’t a playoff calibre roster, but Murray has shown that he is capable of carrying a bad team to some improbable wins. This feels like a middle of the road team who have an outside chance of making a wildcard spot in a tough NFC West.
