The 2019 Cardinals season left fans with a lot of hope and optimism for the future.
Kyler Murray looks to be the real deal on the field. 49ers' defensive end Deforest Buckner compared Murray to a little squirrel - the way he is able to bob and weave defenders. His diminutive frame plus his track speed makes Murray nearly impossible to catch.
You combine his athleticism with his raw talent to throw the football and and you get one of the most tantalizing quarterback prospects in the last few decades.
Murray clearly hasn't accomplished as much as Russell Wilson, but no one seems to be a closer facsimile of Wilson than Murray. From the quick feet, pinpoint accuracy, and pass-first mentality - Murray is basically Wilson from a skill set and tools standpoint.
Kliff Kingsbury started out the gates a little slow, but showed a lot of promise by the end of the season. Kingsbury brought some of his college tricks to the NFL and they didn't all work. But he made adjustments as the season went on and did a good job of picking-and-choosing what works and what doesn't.
The Cardinals were a pretty competitive team all season. They were in a lot of winnable games, but they didn't have the experience or talent to pull it out.
Well they added a lot talent in the off-season. Arguably the best wide receiver in football is coming over after a trade with the Houston Texans. The sweetest part of the deal was not even acquiring Hopkins, but being able to trade David Johnson and his contract for him.
The Cardinals also brought back Kenyan Drake, so we'll get to see a full-year out of him after tearing it up in a short sample size in the Kingsbury offense. Isaiah Simmons, one of the most versatile defensive players in the draft, fell to the Cardinal at #8. Many project him to possibly win rookie of the year.
On papers, the Cardinals have everything they need to make a push for the wild card. I believe Murray will take that leap in his second season like we've seen a lot of quarterbacks do recently. I believe Kingsbury being the puppet master with guys like Hopkins, Kirk, Fitz, Murray, and Drake will lead to the team having one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.
Patrick Peterson has talked about how this season could be a big crossroads in his legacy with so much talent on the team. He is extra motivated to come out, put all the PED stuff behind him and just ball out on the field. With Simmons, Chandler Jones, and Peterson flying around, the Cardinals defense should be much improved as well in 2020.
It's one of the best trio's of defensive players in the NFL when you look at versatility, athleticism, and production.
The only reason I would concerned about the Cardinals playoff chances is because they play in the hardest division in football. They have the last two Super Bowl runner-ups in their division and a Seahawks team who has won a minimum of 9 games every season with Russel Wilson.
The Cardinals have everything they need on paper to make the playoffs. The competition might be the reason they miss out. If a couple of things break right for them however, they will be sneaking in as a 9-7 wild card team.
