The Arizona Cardinals’ secondary struggled late last season following the injuries to defensive lineman J.J. Watt and then cornerback Robert Alford. Alford was the team’s best man-to-man corner on the perimeter and Watt was holding the team’s pass rush together, making it easier on the secondary.
Despite their success early on in the season, Pro Football Focus is not particularly fond of the team’s secondary entering this season. As a matter of fact, they are ranked towards the bottom of the league.
PFF ranked the Cardinals secondary No. 27 out of 32 teams in the NFL in the tier of “serious flaws.” This comes despite the Pro Bowl selection to Budda Baker and the breakout season for Jalen Thompson.
The Cardinals finished 24th in team coverage grade last year, and for some reason, this unit went all but ignored over the course of the offseason. It wasn’t until they drafted cornerback Christian Matthew in the seventh round out of Valdosta State that they addressed this unit.
The ranking seems very low given the potential shown by Byron Murphy coupled with the very good safety duo in Baker and Thompson.
Many Cardinals fans were hoping the team would address the cornerback room in free agency. They did with the signing of Jeff Gladney, who later died tragically in an auto accident in Texas. The team has yet to bring back the aforementioned Robert Alford, which would bring a needed veteran presence to the locker room.
They also recently added former Packers cornerback Josh Jackson.
The Cardinals’ front office appears set on moving forward with the same starting unit from last season. They’re banking on a step forward from Murphy, who is entering a contract year and Marco Wilson, who started last year as a fourth-round rookie.
In a receiver-loaded division, the Cardinals will need their young secondary to prove this ranking wrong.
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