How Cardinals Can Win The Offseason

With a myriad of tasks to complete, here is a to-do list for the Arizona Cardinals for the remainder of the offseason.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Feb 27, 2023 2:00 PM EST

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The Arizona Cardinals entered the 2023 offseason with a need for a new head coach and general manager. Those positions have been filled by Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort, respectively. Now, the team needs to build a to-do list for the rest of the offseason.

There are a ton of holes and predicaments the Cardinals have to address. These are tasks that need to be done; no if's, and's, or but's.

It's going to be a busy offseason for the Cardinals:

1. Devise a plan for Free Agency

This will include a few things for the Cardinals:

In-house free agents
Free Agency pool
Salary cap balancing

The first step will be identifying who to bring back and who to let go. The Cardinals have 30 players set to hit the open market and there are some players who the team may have an interest in bringing back like Byron Murphy and Zach Allen.

The Cardinals also have to make some tough cuts with just over ~$12 million in cap space and a vast number of needs on the roster.

Whatever it is the team decides to do, a plan must be in place before anything else.

2. Begin creating the team in Jonathan Gannon's image

Monti Ossenfort will naturally want his fingerprints on this team and the first step for his doing so was in hiring Gannon. Now, he and Gannon need to work together to begin crafting this team into the beast they wish to behold.

Gannon is a high-energy kind of coach who wants ass-kickers on defense. The Cardinals could use some of those to get a porous unit back on the right track. All three levels of the defense could stand for some upgrades, so they needn't be shy about positions to address.

Offensively, this is where Ossenfort, a former college quarterback, can have more fun in his own image. The Cardinals thankfully have some great things to offer with Kyler Murray and some weapons, but the unit can still stand for some improvements.

3. Find good trade value for DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins went from a sure thing to be traded to now no one having any concrete idea of what's going to happen to him. For me, the Cardinals will be better off trading the aging, oft-injured receiver and getting back some cap space and more importantly draft capital.

The problem becomes what is he worth?

Hopkins has a legitimate shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, but he hasn't exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in a season in two years due to suspensions and injuries. This hurts his value, but the potential for him is there, as he still looked good when on the field.

A first-round pick is almost assuredly off the table unless a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills is crazy enough to send theirs away, but a second-round choice feels appropriate. Perhaps the Cardinals could swing a second and a future pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bottom line: the Cardinals must make sure they do their homework to make sure they get the maximum volume for Hopkins.

4. Add a veteran quarterback

The Cardinals need to make sure they take their time getting Kyler Murray back onto the football field. These days an ACL tear doesn't have a set timetable for recovery, but it's typically about a year depending on the individual. Considering Murray tore his in December, Murray could legitimately miss most, if not all of, the 2023 season.

And don't get it twisted, no new head coach and general manager plan to spend their first season losing games regularly. The Cardinals, right, wrong, or indifferent, will be focused on winning. Therefore, the need for a veteran quarterback is large.

There are several quality options that won't cost an arm and a leg to sign such as Teddy Bridgewater, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, and Jacoby Brissett who would allow the Cardinals to remain competitive while also not making the quarterback situation murky. Baker Mayfield is an intriguing option, but who knows what his market value is.

If the Cardinals want to be competitive in 2023 and trust me, they will, signing a veteran quarterback should take priority.

5. Create a draft board

Once Free Agency has cooled down, we should have a much clearer view of the Cardinals' needs heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Considering the roster needs an overhaul, hopefully, they can identify and narrow down their search to a few positions instead of nearly all of them.

The Cardinals will have tons of ammunition with eight draft picks in total and some high capital, including the third overall pick. This will give the team a great opportunity to really inject some talent, youth, upside, and hope into this team.

The goal here will be to fill some of the smaller holes in Free Agency and leave the more important positions to be filled during the 2023 NFL Draft.

6. Stay put with the third pick and go BPA

As mentioned, the Cardinals have needs at virtually every position on the roster. Therefore, it is in the team's best interest to let the draft fall to them and add the most talented players available in a classic "best player available" approach.

However, the Cardinals should not look to mortgage off the third overall pick. There will be teams hungry to move up for a quarterback, a need that the Cardinals have the luxury of not having, and the team will surely field some calls. Unless you get some astronomically massive deal, you should not move out of this spot.

There are some generational talents that the Cardinals will have a shot at, such as Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. or Georgia's Jalen Carter. Those two are likely the 1a/1b talents of this class and the Cardinals could get their pick of the two should quarterbacks go with the first two picks.

Trading down always has its value, but the Cardinals can't afford that luxury; not when the talent is as great as those two. They both have All-Pro talent, and missing out on them to move down could haunt the team forever.

7. Make the most of your picks with instant producers

After staying put at number three and taking either Anderson or Carter (or a draft riser), the Cardinals need to focus on building the rest of the roster up. This can be done in a variety of ways whether it's trading up, down, or staying put. Whatever they do, they need to make sure that they are adding instant impact guys.

The Cardinals can't spend too many, if any, picks on developmental prospects. This is a team that needs to add guys who can make an impact immediately. This means no drafting guys who need two-or-more years to develop and instead getting the guy who could start week one.

There is a time and a place for drafting developmental prospects, but the 2023 NFL Draft is neither for the Cardinals. You need to show the future is bright in year one and the best way to do that is to show off your rookie class as that future.