4 Cardinals who have exceeded expectations in 2022

In what has been a very disappointing season for the Cardinals, let’s take a look at some of the players that have exceeded expectations on the season.

The Arizona Cardinals are in the midst of a terrible season with a current record of 4-8. They aren’t going to make the playoffs and are possibly going to go through major organizational change in the front office.

With that in mind, there are still a number of players who have exceeded expectations in 2022 and have been bright spots on the team. They are going to be foundational pieces moving forward for the team to turn things around in the future.

Let’s take a look at some of the positives on this season.

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Studs and duds in Cardinals’ Week 5 loss to Eagles

Take a look at Week 5’s studs in duds in the Cardinals’ home loss to the Eagles.

The Arizona Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking loss to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

After another slow start and falling behind 14-0, the Cardinals rallied and had a chance to send the game into overtime at 20-20. Replacement kicker Matt Amendola badly missed the game-tying kick and the Cardinals are now 2-3.

Let’s take a look at our studs and duds for this week.

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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Cardinals free agency countdown: WR Allen Robinson

The Cardinals are in need of help at wide receiver with the expected departure of A.J. Green and Christian Kirk. Could former Bears standout Allen Robinson fill the void?

Beginning on March 14th, NFL teams are permitted to speak to unrestricted free agents, with free agency officially beginning on the 16th. The Arizona Cardinals, coming off a disappointing playoff loss, have some work to do on the open market as well as internally.

General manager Steve Keim took a swing on former Cincinnati Bengals superstar A.J. Green in 2021. While Green flashed at times, particularly when utilized as the No. 2 receiver, it appears as if both parties will be moving on.

That, once again, leaves a hole at outside receiver for the Cardinals. It’s a position they’ve struggled to fill for years, so the team would be wise to search for a younger option that can provide stability for at least a couple of seasons.

Enter former Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson. The 28-year-old Pro Bowler had a rough season in 2021 under the crumbling Matt Nagy/Ryan Pace regime that also featured a developing rookie quarterback in Justin Fields. It’s a story that has seemingly plagued Robinson his entire career — not being able to reach his potential due to poor quarterback play questionable playcalling.

In Arizona, Robinson’s production would have the highest potential of any in his NFL career from a supporting cast standpoint. He would go from a quarterback carousel to Pro-Bowl stability in Kyler Murray, whom the Cardinals would be wise to surround with talent amidst their drama.

Robinson would face a ton of single coverage due to the threat of DeAndre Hopkins. He would likely bolster his receptions and play-making opportunities in Kliff Kingsbury’s quick passing game. Robinson’s ceiling is much higher than that of 33-year-old A.J. Green, who struggled at times last season.

Robinson has posted three 1,000-yard seasons since entering the league in 2014, with two of his years being hampered by injury. Aside from his rookie season, he has primarily operated as the No. 1 receiver.

Playing alongside former Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in two seasons, Robinson compiled 2,397 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns.

In 2021, however, the former Pro-Bowler only managed 410 receiving yards. He missed five games due to injury and was hampered in the contests he did suit up for. There was obvious discontent with the offensive gameplan coupled with the instability at quarterback, which he detailed in an interview with ESPN.

“Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, as I’m going through the season seeing some of these game plans…how I’m not really being involved and doing some of the things I’ve done in the past. For me, personally, it was very frustrating,” he said.

Could a team like the Cardinals be able to land the Pro-Bowler for below market value? His previous seasons give him credibility in contract negotiations, but his market remains unclear following the struggles surrounding him in 2021. Spotrac has his projected market value at $16 million per year, which seems unlikely at this point.

Would you like to see the Cardinals add Allen Robinson to pair with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins?

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This fact about Bruce Arians might surprise you

Bruce Arians had a run of success with the Arizona Cardinals that most people might not be aware of.

The Buccaneers are hoping to make a run at Super Bowl LV in 2020 with Tom Brady under center, and fortunately for them, they have a head coach who seems more than up to the task of managing a locker room bursting with star power.

Bruce Arians is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, having won the award with both the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. The Bucs are the third team Arians has been in charge of, although his head coaching stint in 2012 with the Colts came on an interim basis.

Still, Tampa Bay knows they have a winner in Arians. But what some fans may not know about Arians is that he happens to be the winningest head coach in Cardinals history.

Per Barry Werner of Touchdown Wire:

“In the Cardinals franchise’s long history, the winningest coach is Bruce Arians, who notched 49 victories. Behind him are Ken Whisenhunt at 45 and Don Coryell at 42. Talk about a low bar for Kliff Kingsbury to aim at topping.”

I’m not sure many people knew that about Arians, but there you go. As for his shot at becoming the Bucs’ all-time winningest coach? Well, Arians went just 7-9 in his first season in Tampa, while former Bucs coach and current Las Vegas Raiders head man Jon Gruden tops the list with 57 wins.

Just 51 more to go, Bruce.

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Mel Kiper has two Georgia football players going early in 2020 NFL mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has two Georgia football players taken in first round of his 2020 NFL mock draft.

ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has two Georgia football players going in the first round in his most recent 2020 NFL mock draft.

With the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft, Kiper predicts the Arizona Cardinals will bolster their offensive line by selecting Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Kiper has Thomas as the first left tackle off the board.

Kiper wrote:

This is about the range in which we could see a run on offensive tackles, and Thomas, who has played on both the left and right, is No. 1 on my board. I debated going with a receiver here; wouldn’t Kyler Murray’s former teammate CeeDee Lamb enjoy catching a few more long touchdown passes from his friend? But this comes down to protecting the franchise quarterback, and Arizona desperately needs help along its line, particularly at left tackle, where starter D.J. Humphries is a free agent. The Cardinals also have some defensive deficiencies, so keep an eye on a defensive back, too.

Running back D’Andre Swift is the second Georgia player that Kiper has going in the first round. He has Swift going to the Miami Dolphins, who possess three first round picks, at 26 overall. Kiper also has the Dolphins taking Too Tagovailoa with the fifth pick. What a tandem that would be.

On the prediction, Dolphinswire.com sounds content with the Swift selection.

Miami’s biggest area of need is improvement in the run game. Forget positional value — Miami has enough picks that they should be focused on finding difference makers for their team. Swift definitely fits the bill as a dynamic three down back.