How Cardinals Playmakers Compare to Rest of NFL

The Cardinals were about where they should be in preseason power rankings of playmakers.

Nov 12, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) makes 2023 debut against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- There's a lot of hype - and potential - of what the Arizona Cardinals' offense will look like moving into 2024.

The Cardinals - manned by quarterback Kyler Murray - bolstered their arsenal of weapons substantially when compared to this point last year.

But how do they stack up to the rest of the league with training camp rolling around the corner?

ESPN's Bill Barnwell ranked each team's "playmakers" (WR, TE, RB talent), and Arizona's crew landed at No. 21. We'll break down all three paragraphs of Barnwell's reasoning:

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Barnwell: "The easiest fit in April's draft was Marvin Harrison Jr. going to the Cardinals, so it's no surprise Arizona eventually landed the likely successor to Larry Fitzgerald with the fourth overall pick. I'll repeat my concerns about expecting rookies to excel from day one -- remember that Fitzgerald himself had only 780 yards as a rookie and was overshadowed by a stunning debut campaign from second-rounder Anquan Boldin -- but Harrison is as good of a wide receiver prospect as they come."

Our two cents: Harrison shouldn't be expected to carry the weight of the franchise on his own shoulders, though the Cardinals are fully expecting him to emerge as a WR1 early in his career. As far as production goes, the league is night-and-day more favorable to passing the ball - and Fitzgerald didn't have a healthy Kyler Murray throwing him the ball fresh out of Pitt.

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Barnwell: "There's nominally a big three here with Harrison, Trey McBride and James Conner . With Zach Ertz out of the picture, McBride more than tripled his receiving yardage as a sophomore, although much of that came in garbage time; the only player who caught more passes on plays in which his team already had a win expectancy below 5% was Adam Thielen."

Our two cents: McBride's usage certainly expanded far beyond garbage time, as he was the main focal point of Arizona's attack and arguably the team's offensive MVP behind James Conner. It seems a bit odd to discredit what McBride accomplished despite not starting for a good chunk of the year.

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Barnwell: "Conner, on the other hand, had his best season as a pro, posting a career-high 5.0 yards per carry and 211 rush yards over expectation, the latter of which ranked third behind Christian McCaffrey and De'Von Achane. He also went all season without fumbling for the first time as a starter. He deserved to go to the Pro Bowl. Sure, 29 feels ancient for running backs in the modern era, but he isn't slowing down as he approaches his 30s. Rookie third-rounder Trey Benson is in reserve if Conner gets banged up, although the depth chart at wideout is perilously thin behind Harrison."

Our two cents: It's good to see Conner get some recognition on a national level, though the Cardinals aren't as thin as Barnwell may leave them to be at receiver. Michael Wilson is building off a strong rookie season while Greg Dortch has been fairly productive in each opportunity afforded to him. Zay Jones was also added as a veteran piece that can be deployed across the board.

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As for the Cardinals, they believe they'll have one of the best offensive attacks in the league.

"I fully expect our offense to be top of the league," said Murray earlier this offseason. McBride also added, "We definitely have the potential, have the team, to be the top offense in the NFL.”