The Steve Wilks era was a short one in the desert, as the Arizona Cardinals landed the No. 1 overall selection and promptly fired their head coach. While the move doesn’t seem fair to Wilks on some level, given the direction of the league and Arizona’s desire to build around 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen, it made sense for them to bring in a more offensive-minded head coach.
Enter Kliff Kingsbury, who had an up-and-down career as Texas Tech’s head coach but is widely regarded as one of the more innovative offensive minds in the game.
The Cardinals will likely keep an offense-centric approach to their personnel moves this offseason, as the team continues to put the right pieces around Rosen. However, there are also some key areas on defense that need to be addressnzed, especially due to some philosophical changes likely to be brought in by new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Offensive Line
The Cardinals offensive line was a train wreck in 2018, to the point where it was potentially detrimental to Josh Rosen’s development. According to Sports Info Solutions, Rosen was under pressure on 29.6 percent of his dropbacks, the eighth highest rate in the league.
Former first-round pick D.J. Humphries had his fifth-year option picked up, so he’ll return at left tackle. His long-term future at the position, however, is still a question. Among players with at least 300 snaps in pass protection at left tackle, Humphries allowed the fifth highest Adjusted Blown Block Rate (3.45 percent).
Due to Humphries’ struggles, the Cardinals should consider drafting a future left tackle early, even if they ultimately decide to start him at right tackle during Humphries’ final year.
Recent free agent addition Justin Pugh (under contract through 2022) will return to his starting role at right guard, and rookie center Mason Cole will likely remain as well. That leaves left guard and right tackle as the two potential areas to upgrade this offseason.
Pass-Rusher
The Cardinals pass-rush issues went mostly unnoticed by casual observers in 2018 due to their high sack rate. With 49 sacks, they finished with the second highest sack rate in the NFL. However, according to Sports Info Solutions, the Cardinals generated the seventh lowest pressure rate (28.4 percent) in the league last season—and pressure rate is a far more reliable predictor of long-term pass-rush success.
The issue for Arizona’s pass-rush was the lack of an individual player capable of threatening the opposing team on his own. Even Chandler Jones (under contract through 2021), only ranked 63rd in the league in pressure rate, among players with least 200 pass-rush snaps.
By adding another pass-rusher (perhaps Nick Bosa at No. 1 overall), Arizona would likely see an exponential increase in pass-rush success because the addition of a player like Bosa would also decrease the number of double-teams Jones encounters on the opposite side.
Cornerback
Patrick Peterson remains among the best in the game, but there’s minimal depth behind him. Additionally, given Peterson’s contract and previous trade demands, there’s no guarantee the team will even keep him around. The Cardinals probably aren’t going to turn things around in one offseason, so parting with Peterson for a package of picks and/or young players may be a smart move to facilitate the rebuilding process.
Even if Peterson returns, Arizona needs to find another starter on the other side of the field. Former starter Bené Benwikere was released during the season and replaced by journeyman David Amerson. Despite being under contract for 2019, Amerson’s performance did not indicate he’s ready to lock down that job.
New Cardinals defense coordinator Vance Joseph used man coverage versus 52.6 percent of dropbacks in 2018 with the Broncos, the second highest rate in the league. Meanwhile the Cardinals were in man coverage on 27.9 percent of dropbacks, the third lowest rate, per Sports Info Solutions.
This shift in coverage tendencies could necessitate a turnover in personnel in the secondary and will definitely influence who they target as a starter opposite Peterson.
Wide Receiver
With Larry Fitzgerald returning for another season, this isn’t a glaring immediate need. However, he obviously doesn’t have many years remaining and isn’t the No. 1 weapon he once was either.
84.7 percent of Fitzgerald’s targets came when he was lined up in the slot last season, according to Sports Info Solutions. Given Fitzgerald’s current role and the recent addition of the smaller, quicker Christian Kirk, if Arizona targets a receiver in this year’s draft, it may be a possession slot receiver to eventually take the torch from Fitzgerald.
