PFF Gives Bold Predictions for 2023 Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals were given three bold predictions from Pro Football Focus.

The regular season is slowly yet surely approaching the Arizona Cardinals, and after tomorrow's preseason battle with the Kansas City Chiefs, just two weeks will separate them from their regular season opener in Washington. 

From the outside, there's not much optimism for Arizona under the watchful eye of first-time head coach Jonathan Gannon and his inexperienced staff. The Cardinals lost plenty of talent over the offseason (after going 4-13 in 2022), have their franchise quarterback rehabbing a torn ACL, and are clearly in a rebuild. 

When it comes to predictions, it's easy to get vanilla with Arizona in 2023. 

When it comes to bold predictions, Pro Football Focus gave us three:

1. Kyler Murray Returns by October

PFF: "Given how late into the season Kyler Murray was injured last year — it was Jan. 3 when he had surgery — combined with having little to play for this season, it was an offseason assumption that he wouldn’t feature until late in the year, if at all.

"Murray’s recovery has been going well and he has already been jumping and working his way back to full explosive football activities. The opening weekend will mark almost exactly nine months of recovery, so an October return is not at all unlikely, barring any setbacks. His early return would give the new regime a significant portion of the season to evaluate their star quarterback."

Our Take: This prediction isn't out-of-this-world bold considering Murray's desire to return by Week 1, but it's unexpected he reaches that deadline. Still, Week 4 and beyond could be considered "realistic" based off his recovery timeline. 

The important milestone will be Murray's activation off the PUP list and when he begins practicing. If he's in the lineup by October, that would raise a few eyebrows. 

2. Isaiah Simmons Looks Like a Pro Bowler at Safety

PFF: "The NFL still struggles badly with players who don’t fit the physical prototype at certain positions (more on that next). Isaiah Simmons was not a linebacker when he played well enough at Clemson to be drafted No. 8 overall. At 6-foot-4 and more than 235 pounds, he was the physical prototype of a linebacker’s body, but he was an outstanding defensive back or matchup player within that Clemson defense.

"The Cardinals have slowly come to that realization during his time in the NFL and ended up playing him essentially as a slot cornerback last year, where he earned by far the best PFF grade of his career. This year, he figures to play primarily at safety, and I would expect another jump in production."

Our Take: Again, maybe not on the super bold side, but a revival season for Simmons may surprise some people considering the start to his career hasn't lived up to the promise he showed when drafted in the top ten. 

Safety projects as his best position, and there's hope the new staff will utilize his length and range correctly. 

3. Zaven Collins at OLB will be failed experiment

PFF: "If the franchise is learning its lesson with Simmons, they’re immediately repeating the mistake with Zaven Collins, another player with an unusual body type for his position. At 6-foot-4 and around 260 pounds, Collins looks like an edge rusher, but he doesn’t yet have that skill set — and may never possess it.

"Collins finished 2022 with just 16 pressures from 127 pass-rushing snaps, primarily on the blitz, where the matchups are easier for a pass rusher. He was virtually never deployed as an edge rusher in college, but the Cardinals are projecting that position switch for him in the hope that he will play better because he looks like he should be an edge rusher purely from a physical standpoint. My expectation is that it just won’t work."

Our Take: This may be the most realistic take out of the three provided. Frankly, this is a dice roll by Gannon and his staff. Collins looked fairly consistent at ILB in 2022 but was moved to the edge thanks to his size, speed and IQ. 

The Cardinals hope that can pan out, and to his credit, he looked fairly effective in the short time of action we saw against Denver. However, there's still a giant question mark when it comes to Collins transitioning to a new spot.