NEWSLETTER
It’s a tough time to be an Arizona Cardinals fan right now. On the heels of a 4-13 season, the hammer came down on the previous regime. Out are former GM Steve Keim — who resigned after taking an indefinite leave of absence in December — and head coach Kliff Kingsbury. After a failed tenure in Arizona that included a 27-38-1 record, the Cardinals fired Kingsbury.
Monti Ossenfort was hired to replace Keim in January. The rookie GM oversaw a head coaching search that dragged into February before eventually hiring former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Some have criticized Gannon’s vanilla approach to play-calling on defense in Philly.
Anyone could have looked like the next big name after leading that Eagles front-seven last season, right? That may be true or that could be unfair Monday morning quarterbacking. We’ll soon find out one way or another.
Still, even with a new GM, head coach, and uniforms, it’s been a rough offseason for the desert birds.
In early April, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill was accused of cheating. Former Cardinals VP Terry McDonough accused Bidwill of forcing him to use a burner phone to contact former GM Steve Keim while he was suspended by the league. McDonough also claimed that former head coach Steve Wilks was forced to do the same. McDonough further alleged discrimination, harassment, and gross workplace misconduct on Bidwill’s part, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The McDonough allegations came after an NFLPA player survey was released in which the working conditions of the Cardinals facilities were slammed by players.
The Cardinals didn’t need any more bad press. However, they got it.
According to a release by the Eagles and Cardinals, Ossenfort violated NFL rules by calling Gannon after the Eagles won the NFC Championship Game. Per Gannon, he was asked if he would be interested in talking to the Cardinals if their coaching search extended past the Super Bowl.
The Eagles and Cardinals settled a tampering investigation regarding Gannon’s hiring by swapping third-round selections and Arizona receiving Philadelphia’s fifth-round pick in the 2024 pick. The third-round swap saw the Eagles jump up 28 spots in the third round from pick No. 94 to pick No. 66.
So, yeah, it’s been a rough few months for the Arizona Cardinals.
However, there is a silver lining in all of this. Rookie GM Monti Ossenfort did well in last month’s NFL Draft.
Arizona landed offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6 and extracted future draft capital from various trades. Ossenfort made three trades in the first 34 picks with Houston, Detroit, and Tennessee. Ossenfort traded the third overall pick, plus selections in the second, fourth, and fifth rounds. In return, the Cardinals landed Johnson, linebacker BJ Ojulari, cornerback Garrett Williams, and a first-round pick in 2024 and two third-round picks in 2024.
All things considered, 2023 will be a lost season for Arizona. A new front office. A new head coach and coaching staff. Holes everywhere on the roster. Not to mention, a franchise quarterback recovering from an ACL injury who will not be ready until midway through the campaign.
Still, the Cardinals have reasons to be excited about the future. Arizona will have six picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. Their two first-rounders could end up being franchise-changing. In 10,000 simulations by Pro Football Focus’ Timo Riske, the Cardinals and Texans finished with the worst records in the NFL. That would give the Cardinals the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.
Of course, even if that doesn’t happen, Arizona and Houston should be bad enough to guarantee the Cardinals two picks inside the top five. According to PFF, each team has a 46 percent chance to be bad enough to land in the top five.
The Cardinals also have picks from the Titans, who will almost surely be bad this season, as well. If everything goes right for Arizona, the Cardinals could have six picks within the top 75.
That’s great news for the Cardinals. But it’s also not-so-great news for Kyler Murray. If Arizona were to land the No. 1 overall pick, they would have an opportunity to draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Many believe that Williams would have been the top quarterback in the 2023 class. Better than Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis. Can the Cardinals pass up that chance, even with Murray in town?
Kyler Murray is one of the most expensive quarterbacks in the NFL and hasn’t done much to earn it. However, that’s simply the market for quarterbacks right now. And either you have a ludicrously expensive franchise quarterback, or you have a franchise quarterback on a rookie deal. That’s the path to success these days. Look at the Eagles, who had Jalen Hurts take them to the Super Bowl on a rookie deal. The Bengals have also made back-to-back AFC title game appearances, as well as a trip to the Super Bowl, on Joe Burrow’s rookie deal.
If Arizona has a chance to take Caleb Williams – and reset their clock under center next April – they’d better do it. Trading Kyler Murray and dealing with potential financial ramifications would become a must.
Heck, if they were to land the top two picks, then they could pair Caleb Williams with Marvin Harrison Jr.
If, for some reason, the Cardinals decide that Kyler Murray is still the best option, they could multiply their draft capital by trading back in the first round with one or both of their picks. The scenarios that Monti Ossenfort can dream up between now and next April are truly plentiful. And all of them are enough to make you salivate.
Indeed, the 2024 NFL Draft could be franchise-changing for Arizona, and Ossenfort’s work in last month’s draft will have played a significant role in creating that opportunity. So, a hat tip to the rookie GM.
Being a Cardinals fan has been tough of late. But the future is quite bright in the desert. Well, the possibilities are, anyway. Now, we wait and see if Monti Ossenfort can put it all together.
