Category: NFL predictions

Cardinals improve in 2020, but not enough to make playoffs, per USA TODAY

They improve but finish only 7-9, ahead of the Rams in the NFC West.

After a 5-10-1 2019 season, the Arizona Cardinals have brought back many players and added talent to the roster, especially defensively. They hope to take the next step and compete for a postseason berth.

Will it be enough to make the playoffs in 2020?

According to USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, it won’t quite be enough. In his full 2020 win-loss predictions for all 32 NFL teams, the Cardinals make improvements and move ahead of the Los Angeles Rams but fall short of their goals with a 7-9 record.

Have they ever had this much star power (and potential star power) up and down the roster? Though super soph QB Kyler Murray is already musing about the possibility of having three 1,000-yard receivers with DeAndre Hopkins now in the fold, this team really dialed in last year once RB Kenyan Drake brought a land element to the Air Raid – while enabling the defense to take longer breathers.

In a tough NFC West, this a conservative goal for what the Cardinals can achieve. It is, if the team is relatively healthy, also their floor.

The Cardinals, had their defense been slightly better than awful in 2019, should have had three more wins. The offense gave the defense a lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime three times, only to see their opponent have a game-winning or game-tying score.

With major upgrades to their defensive front seven, the defense should be at least a middling unit statistically.

If that is the case, then the Cardinals should be more of an eight- or nine-win team, who either makes the playoffs or just misses them.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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and

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Why Andy Isabella should have a bigger role in 2020 on offense

The perfect player that should not only win the job but take on a bigger role with the team is second-year wide receiver Andy Isabella.

The Arizona Cardinals had a busy offseason dealing with both transactions and opt-outs due to COVID-19 concerns. The biggest splash of the offseason was trading for Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. That gives Kyler Murray three lethal targets to throw to: Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, and Christian Kirk. However, that fourth wide receiver spot is wide open and the perfect player that should not only win the job but take on a bigger role with the team is second-year wide receiver Andy Isabella.
The 2019 NFL Draft class was loaded with impressive speed at the wide receiver position, including guys like Deebo Samuel, Paris Campbell and Andy Isabella. Isabella ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the combine and his speed is something that should not be overlooked. He is in the shadow of the other big three receivers. But, once he is used the right way, he could really be a key part of the Cardinals’ offense. Even though he is undersized, he has the talent to make people overlook that case. He is a crisp route runner and his hands have gotten better throughout the years. The one concern with Isabella is his blocking skills due to his size and body frame. Luckily, the Cardinals have two big-bodied receivers ahead of him. However, if he wants to be used in a bigger role as he should, that is something he will have to develop to improve his game.
Hakeem Butler had a lot of hype coming into the draft due to his breakout season in his last year at Iowa State and an impressive showing at the 2019 NFL Combine. Unlike Isabella, Butler exceeds in blocking, a trait that makes him stand out among the other young wide receivers on the Cardinals. Some even had Butler as first-round talent, but he fell all the way to the fourth. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine, which is astonishing for a player his size, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds. There is a lot of potential in him, but he is highly unproven as he went down with a major avulsion fracture that sidelined him for his rookie season.
The other major name is KeeSean Johnson, Who was the third receiver drafted by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson has shown sparks at times when he is given the opportunity. He also has impressive hands, posting a 4.8% drop rate, according to RotoWire. He is also another guy that has developed his route running skills, which impressed the Cardinals early. The biggest concern with Johnson is that his speed is not something that will jump out at you. It poses a question as to whether he can keep up with elite defenders like Richard Sherman twice a year or not.

Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler and KeeSean Johnson all have different weaknesses, but one is more proven than the others. With his speed, impressive route-running skills and reliability, Andy Isabella has made a case for that fourth wide receiver spot and an even bigger role with the Cardinals in 2020.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

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and

[protected-iframe id=”682ebb6e7ef6b83ea73b8875d2f5241d-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/27243565/download.mp3″ ]