Five Biggest Offseason Questions for Cardinals to Answer
The Arizona Cardinals hope to rebound in major fashion after a dismal 4-13 that was embarrassing for numerous reasons, both on and off the field.
The organization hopes to move forward to better days in 2023 and beyond, but a few pieces to the puzzle need to be solved before the ship can turn in the right direction.
Owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort have their work cut out for them in the coming months. Although there's numerous facets to evaluate and overhaul in Arizona, here's five of the biggest questions the Cardinals need to address this offseason (in no particular order):
Who Will Lead the Cardinals at Head Coach?
The Cardinals have seen a few of their favorite prospects taken off the board after firing Kliff Kingsbury.
Sean Payton interviewed with Arizona but quickly fled to Denver in what many believe was a leverage play. DeMeco Ryans canceled his interview with Arizona after speaking with Denver/Houston. Dan Quinn rejected both Arizona/Denver to return to Dallas as their defensive coordinator for another year, and Frank Reich was the first hire in the coaching cycle by Carolina.
Now, the Cardinals and Colts remain as the two teams without a head coach. Indianapolis is finishing up their second round of interviews and may make a decision soon. Meanwhile, only Quinn (confirmed) and Aaron Glenn (expected whether formally or informally) have earned a second interview at this time.
Arizona may be waiting to interview one of the Philadelphia Eagles coordinators, but that can't be completed until after the Super Bowl.
Bidwill has certainly cast the net far and wide, and they're sure taking their time in trying to find the right candidate.
Time will tell if Arizona operating on their own timeline will pay dividends.
Who is Spelling Kyler Murray Until He Returns?
Kyler Murray tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 14, leaving major doubt for his rehab to be completely done by the 2023 season opener. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reports that Murray will ensure his knee will be 100% before taking the field, which may lead to a more realistic timeline of his comeback around the midseason mark.
Only Colt McCoy is under contract for next season behind Murray, and a few concerns (age, concussion history) haven't completely ruled McCoy out of the picture of retirement.
Even if McCoy returns, a third quarterback will be needed.
It's a question of exactly how much the Cardinals want to invest in a short-term position they've already handed nutty money for the long haul. Will Arizona make a move in free agency? Will the NFL Draft bring us any surprises? Could David Blough or Trace McSorley return?
Things are cloudy around Arizona's quarterback prospects for 2023 and how they plan to approach it.
What Will Arizona do at Wide Receiver?
There's two main issues that need to be sorted here for Arizona.
The elephant in the room is DeAndre Hopkins, who the Cardinals reportedly want to trade this offseason after the receiver (per The Score's Jordan Schultz) is in search of a new contract. Hopkins, who is 30-years-old at the moment, has two years left on his deal with cap hits of $30.75 million and $26.215 million.
Only Tyreek Hill ranks above him for receivers for largest cap hits in 2023.
Hopkins could be looking to avoid a rebuild here in Arizona, while the Cardinals themselves may want to see what his market looks like.
His understudy in Marquise Brown has one year left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024. The Cardinals forked over a first-round pick to acquire him last year and immediately picked up his fifth-year option, so there's an assumption that he'll be paid at some point. The potential departure of Hopkins only makes the need to keep Brown in Arizona more apparent.
Yet Ossenfort and his new regime may see things differently than Keim. We'll see how Arizona values both Hopkins and Hollywood here soon.
Can the Cardinals Keep Zach Allen/Byron Murphy?
Arizona has 30+ free agents heading into the offseason, but no two names are bigger than Zach Allen and Byron Murphy.
Allen took off at the right time this season, playing terrific as a duo with J.J. Watt along the defensive line. There were times where Allen's ability to cause havoc wrecked opposing game plans, and he was able to do his signature surf celebration often because of that.
Murphy, though injuries plagued him last season, showed up against the best of the best receivers when he was on the field. There's hope Arizona found their CB1 after Patrick Peterson, and Murphy has proved versatile after handling slot and boundary duties in the secondary.
According to OverTheCap, the Cardinals have $14.5 million in cap space to play with, although Arizona can always maneuver the numbers and create more money (the salary cap doesn't actually exist, kids).
Will Arizona place a priority on retaining both? Do they feel as if they can only keep one of the two players?
Names such as Christian Kirk, Jordan Hicks and Chandler Jones departed Arizona last offseason. We'll see if the Cardinals can cling to their biggest names in just over a month when free agency begins.
What's the Move at Pick No. 3?
The Cardinals were able to retain something good out of their horrific season: The No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With quarterbacks expected to go No. 1 and No. 2, Arizona very well may have their choice of the best non-passing prospect at their disposal.
That could be Georgia DL Jalen Carter. It could be Alabama EDGE Will Anderson.
The Cardinals could also trade down to gather more draft picks.
This is a debate that rages on - and will continue to do so - until the commissioner himself reads the outcome at the draft in late April.
Carter and Anderson both bring promise to be defensive anchors for years to come. Trading down with a desperate team may result in plugging in more holes for a Cardinals team that will have plenty barring a magical offseason.
Ossenfort spent years within the Patriots organization learning from some of the best in the business. We'll see if he has any tricks up his sleeve.
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