Cards look vastly improved after 2020
Throughout the entire draft process, the Cardinals apparently relied on something you don’t always hear an NFL team using to make sure they got it right.
In the Cardinals’ case, it was carrying a grudge and bitter resentment over the way their 2020 season happened to end.
To hear coach Kliff Kingsbury tell it on Saturday, losing to the Rams on the road in the last game of the regular season with a playoff berth on the line made General Manager Steve Keim so livid that he bellowed to everyone about the importance of finding at least prospects Arizona can immediately plug in and play in 2021.
The Cardinals think they found those two players in first-round pick Zaven Collins, the 6-foot-5 linebacker out of Tulsa, and second-round pick Rondale Moore, the small, but speedy wide receiver from Purdue.
“Yeah, no question,” Kingsbury said. “I think that was the mindset going in is we knew we had to get better. None of us were pleased with how that thing ended last year and we wanted to improve through the draft. Steve made that crystal clear to the coaching staff and the personnel department that those first two picks need to play and play early and play a lot.
“That was the mission and I feel good about where it’s at.”
Time will tell just how good Collins and Moore turn out to be, but after a busy offseason that also featured several veteran additions, including big names such as J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, Rodney Hudson, Malcolm Butler and James Conner, the Cardinals certainly have the look and feel of a playoff contender this year.
With the selections of Collins and Moore, plus three intriguing defensive backs on the third day of the draft that could end up being potential steals, the present looks appealing and the future could be great.
It’s enough to make you think Larry Fitzgerald just might shelve any thoughts about retiring and decide to come back for one last hurrah and a chance to compete for that Super Bowl title that so far has escaped him.They money is there, even though his salary would be a lot less than he’s been making.
Fitzgerald hasn’t announced his intentions yet, so no one really knows for sure what’s going to happen. Industry insiders have been throwing darts at the subject, suggesting that the free-agent signing of Green and the selection of Moore virtually closes the door on Fitzgerald’s 17-year run with the Cardinals.
Maybe it has, but if Fitzgerald indicated to the team he would like to come back for at least another season, does anyone really believe the Cardinals would tell him thanks, but no thanks? The fanbase would never forgive Keim or Kingsbury or Owner Michael Bidwill.
With or without Fitzgerald and the fact the Cardinals only added two players on offense during the draft — Moore and former Penn State center Michal Menet – Kingsbury has plenty of new pieces to play with and more ammunition for young quarterback Kyler Murray to thrive.
“I feel fantastic about them,” Kingsbury said of this year’s additions. “A.J. Green has been one of the most productive receivers in the league over his tenure there in Cincinnati and I can’t wait for him to get out here and get a fresh start with Kyler and get on that grass and enjoy this Arizona weather.
“Obviously, Rondale is one of the most explosive players in the draft, that jitterbug that can make things happen in space. So, you add those two players, you add Rodney (Hudson) at center, bring in Brian Winters (at guard), you have Josh (Jones) waiting in the wings up front, I mean, you’re better offensively immediately.
“You have Chase (Edmonds), who can do some of that stuff in the pass game and then a big, bruising back like James (Conner), I couldn’t be more excited about where it’s at and where it’s heading.”
If Collins beats out veteran Jordan Hicks for the starting MIKE linebacker role next to Isaiah Simmons, last year’s first-round pick, and Moore becomes the deep-threat receiver Andy Isabella so far has not turned out to be, then 2021 was an excellent draft for Keim.
Here’s where it has a chance to be even better: If Arizona scores a hit with any or all of the three defensive backs it drafted on Saturday. In cornerbacks Marco Wilson of Florida (fourth round) and Tay Gowan from Central Florida (sixth round) plus safety James Wiggins from Cincinnati (seventh round), the Cardinals improved an area of need with prospects that were expected to be drafted much higher than they were.
Some draft analysts had a secondround grade on Wilson and others thought Gown could go as high as the third round. Wiggins would have been gone sooner, too, if he hadn’t missed the entire 2019 season because of a torn ACL.
“We feel very, very good, especially when you see the type of players we got and, in my opinion, where we got them in the draft,” Keim said. “I mean, we have two guys who both have great size and tremendous skills for the (cornerback) position. Williams, he’s a guy that can play on all four core special teams early in his career and hopefully can develop into a starter.
“The thing I love is to have three young DBs that we can potentially develop and can come in and help us early, hopefully on special teams. You’re looking at three guys that run faster than 4.45, play with a physical mindset and have a passion for the game.”
OK, so the Cardinals didn’t draft a tight end; Keim said there just wasn’t one they liked enough where and when they were picking. But they did manage to add another pass rusher in Duke’s Victor Dimukeje, who reminds them of high-energy Markus Golden, and a center in Penn State’s Michal Menet,a twotime team captain with ideal instincts and smarts. Keim said he would address the tight end situation in free agency.
The Cardinals didadd a couple of tight ends immediately after the draft, agreeing to terms with undrafted rookie free agents Cary Angeline from North Carolina State and Bruno Labelle from Cincinnati.