Arizona Cardinals fans are well aware that cornerback Patrick Peterson did not play well for most of the 2019 season. He is counting on having a great season and the team also is relying on that fact.
It is a critical year in Peterson’s career, as he is entering the final year of his contract at 30 years old.
In fact, what he faces in 2020 is the reason Adam Schein has named him among the NFL players in 2020 under the most pressure. He comes in at No. 3 behind Patriots quarterback Cam Newton and Bears linebacker Khalil Mack.
Whenever I ask cornerbacks or receivers to name the truly elite cover men in the game, Peterson’s name routinely comes up. A Pro Bowler in each of his first eight NFL seasons, Pat Pete’s built up an immense level of respect among his peers. But last year was an absolute mess.
After serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Peterson just wasn’t himself upon return. While his play picked up in the final month of the season, the 29-year-old looked like a player in decline for much of his ninth NFL campaign.
Now, I have Arizona as my Cinderella team in 2020. Part of my premise is that the Cardinals have three special talents on defense in Peterson, Chandler Jones and rookie Isaiah Simmons. Peterson needs to be special again — which means playing at his Hall of Fame level — for the Cardinals to live up to my billing.
His play in December is promising because it was at the level Cardinals fans are used to seeing him play. However, the concern is whether he can maintain that level of play over a full season. If he does, he will likely earn another big contract because cover corners are so valuable in the league.
If he can’t back up his offseason talk, then he could simply be another 30-year-old suffering decline.
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