Three offseason moves Cardinals must make
Zay Jones.
The Arizona Cardinals are still in the very early stages of a rebuild and trying to improve from a 4-13 record in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s first season. They have already had a busy offseason and improved some big weaknesses, but there are still a few more moves they could make to improve. Let’s talk about three of them.
Sign wide receiver Zay Jones
Building up their wide receiver depth was one of the top priorities for the Cardinals this offseason, and they addressed that in a big way by drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick. He has a chance to be a superstar and impact player in the future, but that group still needs a little more depth.
Jones, recently released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, would be a solid veteran to add to that group at what should be an affordable price.
He only caught 34 passes in 2023 but is just one year removed from catching 82 passes and is a reliable target that could take some of the pressure off Harrison Jr. and give quarterback Kyler Murray a dependable veteran he can lean on.
Add another edge-rusher
No team had fewer sacks in 2023 than the Cardinals’ 33, and that is simply not a number they can repeat this season if they are going to take any meaningful steps forward. They spent the early part of free agency adding help along the defensive line (Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols) and used the second of their first-round picks on edge-rusher Darius Robinson from Missouri. All of that will help. But you can never have enough edge rushers and pass-rushing depth, and the Cardinals have a long way to go before they are even close to adequate there.
Robinson has upside, but he is still unproven and can not be counted on to change the Cardinals’ defense by himself.
Veterans like Charles Harris, Shaq Lawson and Yannick Ngakoue remain available.
Add more secondary help
Every aspect of the Cardinals defense needed improvement this offseason, and that obviously includes the secondary.
They already made one big signing to get corner help by bringing in Sean Murphy-Bunting, which has a chance to be a shrewd move, while also drafting cornerback Max Melton in the second round. The only problem is that they still lack quality depth at corner and Murphy-Bunting, as good as he is when he is healthy, has a tendency to miss some games.
It is not as big of a need as it was at the start of the offseason thanks to the Murphy-Bunting and Melton additions, but it is still an area of concern.
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