How the Cardinals Walked Away as Winners Thanks to Bears, Texans

How the Arizona Cardinals received some major help from the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears.

Author:
Andrew Harbaugh
Publish date:
Jan 9, 2023 12:00 PM EST

In this story:

Absolute chaos for some creates absolute opportunities for others. The Arizona Cardinals have done nothing but live in the chaos - survived in it more like - but final mister mayhem finally threw the team a bone.

The Houston Texans went and won their third game of the year and that would only be the start of the chaos. Within a few hours of that happening the Cardinals failed to win their fifth game of the year but the Denver Broncos also decided to end their year on the opposite note with a win.

The Texans’ win moved the Chicago Bears up to number one, the Texans fell to number two, and the Broncos pick that belongs to the Seattle Seahawks fell back to fifth overall.

All of this now means that the Arizona Cardinals are the proud owners of the third overall pick which is the best spot in the entire draft for a team in their situation.

That situation being you have a franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray locked up long term and you have a possible fresh start at head coach and general manager. Oh and the fact that one of the two best players in this 2023 draft class will be available at their pick in either Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter.

Get to Know Will Anderson Jr.

Everyone knows the hype surrounding Will Anderson Jr., he projects as the latest stud project out of Tuscaloosa in the Nick Saban era, but he is more than that. Anderson Jr. came to Alabama as a 5-star recruit and some legendary high school production for an edge rusher.

In his senior year of high school out of Hampton, Georgia, he was able to lead a defense that allowed just 7.7 PPG and he did so by collecting 22 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss. While those numbers are crazy to think about, they are numbers compiled against high school kids.

So how did Anderson Jr. follow that up? He was able to collect 34.5 sacks and a massive 58.5 tackles for a loss in just three years in college. The narrative that he has issues tackling or that his production dipped this year should not be viewed as narratives but rather something that should go in one ear and out another.

Get to Know Jalen Carter

Ironically, right behind Will Anderson Jr. in his recruiting class was Jalen Carter. Carter hails from Apoka, Florida where he racked up a senior season that included 64 tackles and 12 sacks. While playing defensive tackle he also played tight end and punter for his High School team on the way to a state title.

Throw in an athletic background that includes basketball and competitive weightlifting and you have a complete athlete.

During his career at Georgia, he was able to lead a Kirby Smart-coached defense to a national championship his sophomore season and may lead them to another tonight. Heading into tonight's matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs he has 18.5 tackles for a loss and 6 sacks. While he isn’t stuffing the box score like Will Anderson Jr. what he puts on film is more than impressive if you give it a chance.

Both Will Be Perfect Fits for the Cardinals

J.J. Watt has retired and Zach Allen is a free agent which means that the defensive line is going to have to be the focus of the rebuild this offseason. Both men, Anderson Jr. or Carter, would allow this defense to continue building momentum.

Look at what the Rams were able to do by building a presence upfront led by Aaron Donald. If the Cardinals did the same with either man they also have Zaven Collins, Isaiah Simmons, Byron Murphy and Budda Baker to play behind them. It is one thing to earn coverage sacks, it’s another to be able to apply pressure and force poor throws.

When you are able to do that is when you are able to force turnovers and doing that is how you get your franchise quarterback more chances to score. This is the way to a successful rebuild and thanks to the Texans and Broncos it just became possible.