Arizona Cardinals Roster 2020 Arizona Cardinals Roster

Top 3 Cardinals Roster Questions of 2019-2020

How Effective will the Kingsbury-Murray Combo Be?

The Cardinals drew a lot of snark with their decision to hire Kingsbury as head coach, as it gave off the impression to some that the Cardinals were just copying the template the Rams set with Sean McVay. The fact that they were close friends didn’t help whispers that Kingsbury only got the job due to his similarities with McVay. Kyler Murray will be entering his rookie year with some questions as well. His talent is undeniable, but there are some concerns about his height and long-term durability. The point is, both the Cardinals’ head coach and presumed quarterback of the future enter the season with a lot of doubters. There’d be no better way to shut those doubters up by establishing a positive connection and relationship on the field as soon as possible. A strong rookie year from Murray isn’t a necessity, as he’s still a developing young player, but it’d definitely hush a lot of the noise.

Can David Johnson Get His Mojo Back?

After a strong start to his career, the hype around David Johnson has faded after a disastrous two seasons. First was his wrist injury that knocked him out for the entire 2017 season, and then came a poor 2018 season where he had a dismal yards per carry and struggled the whole season behind a poor offensive line. Johnson will be hoping an improved supporting cast will help him get his mojo back and allow his to reach the heights he had in the 2016 season. Getting back that version of Johnson would obviously help the team, but it’d be extremely beneficial to Kyler Murray’s growth. At his peak, Johnson is one of the best dual threats in football, able to grind out yards on the ground and provide a safety valve for his quarterbacks in the passing game. He wasn’t able to do that often for Josh Rosen last season, so if he could do it for Kyler Murray it’d make a huge difference. Regardless, Johnson is already 27 and already has some durability questions, so a bounce back season would be a great way to ease those concerns.

What Would be a Successful Season for this Team?

For every team, expectations will vary, and each team should be judged through different lenses. Let’s get this out of the way. The Cardinals will almost certainly not make the playoffs next year. They’re probably more likely to once again repeat as the worst team in their division than they are to sniff a wild card spot. So, given how low expectations are for this team, what would qualify as a successful year for this team is important. No year or game is truly meaningless and for the Cardinals, they can find meaning in developing their young core. Obviously Kyler Murray is a part of it, but the Cardinals need to decide what other players on their roster they want to be part of their core going forward. After determining who they want to keep, getting them as much experience and reps possible should be the priority. This will likely result in a lot of losses, but the experience they give their young talents will give them a head start down the road.