This is a new frontier, a modern launch for an organization starved for a champion. It’s a fresh start in the desert for the Arizona Cardinals organization after a disastrous 2-14 campaign in 2018.
Enter Kliff Kingsbury, the former Texas Tech University head coach, offensive guru and everyone’s favorite Ryan Gosling lookalike. In a league run by the offense, not many scheme it better than Kingsbury. Can he get Arizona back to relevance? Here are five reasons to be excited about the new leader in Glendale.
Offense
Total Offensive (Yards Per Game) Ranks —
2013: 8th (511.0 YPG)
2014: 10th (504.1 YPG)
2015: 2nd (579.5 YPG)
2016: 1st (566.6 YPG)
2017: 16th (474.6 YPG)
2018: 12th (484.3 YPG)
There is no doubt that Kingsbury can coach offense at an elite level. In his six seasons at the helm of the Texas Tech program, his offense finished no worse than 16th overall in total yards per game. With a solid foundation of skill players and an intriguing second-year quarterback, Cardinals fans should be salivating at the thought the scoreboard lighting up in Glendale.
2019 NFL Draft
Picks –
1st Round: 1st overall
2nd Round: 33rd overall
3rd Round: 65th overall
4th Round: 97th overall
5th Round: 129th overall
6th Round: 161st overall
7th Round: 193rd overall
The Cardinals possess all seven of their original draft picks this coming spring, including the #1 overall choice. With Arizona being presumably set at QB with the selection of Josh Rosen in 2018, the team can focus their top pick on the “best player available” philosophy.
The two consensus top prospects are both on the defensive side of the ball. Nick Bosa (DE, Ohio State University) & Quinnen Williams (DL, University of Alabama) would both prove to be interesting fits in new Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s 3-4 scheme. The Cardinals also hold the option of trading the pick to the highest bidder, if another team deems the top choice valuable enough to move up.
Josh Rosen
In 2018, Rosen became the first QB drafted in the 1st round by the franchise since 2006 (Matt Leinart). After a rocky rookie season (55.20% – 2,278 yards – 11 TDs – 14 INTs), Rosen returns under center in Arizona looking to make strides in his sophomore campaign. This will be a pivotal season in the young QB’s development under the new coaching staff. Look for Rosen to top the 3,500-yard mark with 20+ TDs through the air.
Vance Joseph
Although Joseph’s lone season as a DC was underwhelming with the Dolphins in 2016, Cardinals fans should be optimistic about the 3-4 scheme he will bring to Arizona. There are solid pieces in place to work with such as Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson, Haason Redick, Deonne Buchanon & Budda Baker. Scheme changes typically get off to a rough start in most cases, so expectations should be tempered in year one for this group.
Salary Cap Space
The Cardinals head into the off-season with $55M in cap space. This will give the organization flexibility to reshape the roster in the vision of the new coaching staff. With this amount of space to work with, Arizona should be one of the most active teams once free agency begins.
Look for the Cards to retool the offensive line & add more playmakers for their young QB. Look for the team to also add significant pieces that fit Vance Joseph’s 3-4 scheme.
