Tag: Steve Keim

DeAndre Hopkins is a superstar acquisition for Arizona culture

DeAndre ‘Nuk’ Hopkins brings much-need star power to the Arizona Cardinals. His presence brings more than more touchdowns for the Cardinals, however.

DeAndre Hopkins is one of the few players in the NFL carrying the title of superstar.

Hopkins, also known as “Nuk,” was an icon in Houston and the state of Texas in its entirety. His roots from Clemson, South Carolina developed into a fanbase across the nation due to his humble ascension to star college receiver.

Hopkins initially joined a Houston Texans team riddled with quarterback issues and a lack of national recognition. Despite this, Nuk put up dominant numbers starting in 2014. He began to come up in backyard football debates about possibly being a top receiver in the league.

Houston’s brilliant trade up in the 2017 draft for another Clemson star, Deshaun Watson, skyrocketed the Texans offense. Hopkins and the Texans finally had their franchise signal caller, and the national television games began popping up more for Houston. Watson and Hopkins were dynamic.

DeAndre Hopkins, left, and Deshaun Watson, both of the Houston Texans, attend the 9th Annual NFL Honors at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. (Jeff Lewis/AP Images for NFL)

Three years and 4,115 receiving yards later, Hopkins is on his way to the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray.

The discussion for Bill O’Brien’s decision to trade DeAndre is for another time. How does this affect Arizona sports culture as a whole?

DeAndre Hopkins brings a wealth of fans from the Carolinas, Texas and all those enamored with his play on Houston’s nationally televised games. As one of the most recognized names in the NFL, the national spotlight follows Hopkins to his new team, the Arizona Cardinals.

Those Cardinals have been conservative in free agency and some of their first-round draft choices in recent memory. Outside of Larry Fitzgerald, Chandler Jones, and Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals were missing star power, the kind that makes an NFL team nationally acknowledged and supported.

The stigma in the NFL world often teases Arizona as a retirement home’ for former Pro-Bowlers and stars. To their credit, they have had success bringing in players like Carson Palmer, but the fact remains nonetheless. They were never the team with the biggest offseason headlines.

The Cardinals shifted the recent conservative trend with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury and the drafting of quarterback Kyler Murray, just one year removed from taking another signal caller with their first draft selection. The addition of DeAndre Hopkins is the perfect complement to the new-look Cards.

Hopkins brings Arizona an icon in the community similar to that of his new teammate, Larry Fitzgerald. DeAndre was an active member in helping the Houston community, and has wasted no time in doing the same for Arizona.

 

Arizona sports have now added another icon that gives them national relevancy. Maybe the Cardinals now receive more primetime games, potentially taking the previous slots from the Houston Texans. No. 10 jerseys may very well go into the same tier as Larry Fitzgerald, Kyler Murray, and Suns’ Devin Booker in terms of popularity amongst the state.

Superstar DeAndre Hopkins is a break in the recent conservative Arizona sports trend. He brings a large fanbase, dominant play on the field, and national spotlight with him. One of the most recognized names in American sports now resides in the desert.

Sensational.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 263

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Ep. 262

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Cardinals GM Steve Keim says failure rate with big-ticket free agents is high

The success rate for $5 million contracts or more is about 40 percent, says Keim.

The Arizona Cardinals currently have a little less than $40 million in salary cap space as free agency approaches. It is expected that they are agressive in free agency. However, general manager Steve Keim seems to be tempering expectations a bit.

On more than one occasion, he has cited a stat regarding free-agent signings.

“We just want to be smart about the additions we make, whether it’s signing our own players or going out in free agency knowing the fact it can be fool’s gold,” he said at the NFL combine. “Any contract that’s been over $5 million the last 10 years has really had a success rate of about 40 percent. So it just goes to show you that going out and signing the big-name free agent isn’t always the answer.”

Just looking at least year, Jordan Hicks and J.R. Sweezy worked out. Terrell Suggs and Darius Philon did not. Neither did Robert Alford. They all signed for more than $5 million. That is 40 percent success.

Does this mean that the Cardinals will approach free agency by not doling out big contracts? That would seem to preclude them from signing any proved inside linebacker, pass rusher or right tackle.

Keim said that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“I think it comes to that individual player and that situation,” he explained. “Is this player going to be impactful, how much of an impact does he make at the position of need? As we look at our roster I don’t think there’s any position that we can’t address whether it’s from a starter standpoint or a depth standpoint that we can’t continue to get better.”

Free agency officially begins March 18.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 260

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Ep. 259

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Front seven will be Cardinals’ defensive focus in offseason

Steve Keim said the team wants to find another pass rusher, an inside linebacker and defensive linemen.

The Arizona Cardinals struggled mightily on defense in 2019 and they plan on making improvements to that side of the ball in the offseason. However, general manager Steve Keim doesn’t see a need to address every level of the defense.

“We just want to get better and obviously the defense is an area where we have to improve, particularly the front seven,” he said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

Keim said he was pleased with the play at safety of Budda Baker, a Pro Bowler, and Jalen Thompson. It appears he doesn’t have plans to do much at cornerback, as Patrick Peterson returns, Robert Alford should be healthy and Byron Murphy “did some nice things” as a rookie and should improve in Year 2.

So the offseason focus on the defense?

“To me, it’s the front seven,” he said. “Getting someone opposite Chandler (Jones), another linebacker inside and more defensive line help to give Vance Joseph a chance to have success this year.”

Look for the Cardinals to try and add at least three defensive starters in free agency.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 258

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Ep. 257

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Kyler Murray doing his part to bring CeeDee Lamb to Cardinals

“From my text stream, you can tell Kyler likes him,” GM Steve Keim said on the radio recently.

Quarterback Kyler Murray knows he doesn’t get to choose whom the Arizona Cardinals select with the eighth overall pick, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to influence the decision. It is getting fairly clear he would love to see the Cardinals select his former teammate at Oklahoma — receiver CeeDee Lamb.

He recently told the Arizona Republic’s Bob McManaman his and Lamb’s relationship goes way back.

“Me and CeeDee have a great relationship,” Murray said. “That’s one of my boys. I would obviously be very fond of that pick. Obviously, I don’t make the choices. I’m here for whatever, but I’m looking forward to free agency and us adding some great players and adding more of them in the draft so we can continue to grow this thing.

“But yeah, if we pick CeeDee, that would be great. We have a very comfortable relationship. I’ve played with him, I’ve been with him for years, so yeah, I don’t think that would be a bad pick at all.”

He has apparently made his opinion clear to general manager Steve Keim.

“From my text stream, you can tell Kyler likes him,” Keim said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

Keim even said that the relationship with Murray could play a factor in the decision to potentially select Lamb.

“You always would also lean towards guys that you know,” he said. “If you know the person or you have confidence in who they are, through the information you obtain, it certainly gives you more confidence.”

The NFL draft is still two months away and the evaluation process has just begun but if the Cardinals think highly of Lamb and Murray does, he might be a perfect match. It is for that exact reason so many mock drafts have the Cardinals drafting him.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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Check out Cardinals GM Steve Keim’s comparison for WR CeeDee Lamb

“You talk about a guy that maybe isn’t the fastest vertically, but is gritty, tough and runs great routes.”

One NFL draft prospect has caught the eye of many Arizona Cardinals fans — Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He was a big-time receiver. He was a teammate of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and played in an offense similar to the Cardinals’.

The Cardinals could go with a receiver with the eighth overall in the draft this year. If they decide to select Lamb, there is a pretty high ceiling for him.

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim compared him to one of the league’s best receivers in the league.

“You watch CeeDee Lamb and there are some things that come to mind when I watch him that remind me a little bit of DeAndre Hopkins,” he said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “You talk about a guy that maybe isn’t the fastest vertically, but is gritty, tough and runs great routes.”

Lamb caught 62 passes for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2018, with Murray as his quarterback, he had 65 receptions for 1,158 yards and 11 scores.

Hopkins is one of the most prolific receivers in the league now. In seven NFL seasons, he has had at least 1,100 yards five times and twice has surpassed 1,500. He has had over 100 receptions three times.

Imagine adding that to Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk.

Of course, that is a high-end comparison. You don’t typically draft a receiver in the top 10 of the draft unless you believe he will be a star.

The Hopkins comparison for Lamb by Keim suggests he thinks it is possible.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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WR or OT in the 1st round for the Cardinals? GM Steve Keim possibly gives a clue

It sounds like the Cardinals will take a tackle if he is rated roughly the same as a receiver or defensive player.

The Arizona Cardinals have the eighth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and already there is plenty of speculation as to what should be the position they focus on.

Some are firmly in the corner of taking a receiver. Others want an offensive lineman. Yet others want to see a defensive player taken.

General manager Steve Keim might have given a bit of a clue as to what direction he might go in April when the Cardinals are on the board.

“One of the things I’ve always thought about philosophically was when you have a position group, and again they grade in a similar area, when you look at the big picture and you say, ok when I get to free agency, which players at that position exist in free agency, because usually people tie up left tackles, corners, quarterbacks — guys that are hard to find,” he said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “So I would obviously lean in the direction of players that are hard to find and don’t really make it to free agency because they get extended.”

What does this mean?

It means if the Cardinals have a wide receiver, an offensive tackle and a defensive lineman or linebacker all graded similarly, the Cardinals will take a tackle.

They key, of course, is how the Cardinals grade players.

Right now, the way mock drafts are lining up, the Cardinals could be in a position to take a tackle like Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton or others. They could take receivers CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy. They could take a defensive player like linebacker Isaiah Simmons or defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

If a tackle is in the same grade tier as a receiver or defensive tackle, it sounds like they will take a tackle.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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Cardinals have had contract extension talks with CB Patrick Peterson

Steve Keim would like to see Peterson retire as a member of the Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson enters the final year of his contract in 2020. The last 18 months have been a bit of a roller coaster, as he once requested a trade and then apologized for that. He was suspended for six games for PED use and came back and struggled. Then he played great over the final few games.

Some believe he should be traded.

The Cardinals have other plans. General manager Steve Keim revealed on the radio on Friday he would like to sign Peterson to a contract extension.

“We have had conversations,” he said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “Pat is a guy we would love to see him retire as a Cardinal.”

He did not give any details as to how far those discussions have gone.

Keim acknowledged Peterson’s struggles after returning from his suspension and said Peterson would admit that himself but noted his play down the stretch as something positive moving forward.

“He’s got a chip on his shoulder,” he said. “I think he’s going to come back with a vengeance.”

The way Keim described things, he seemed quite positive a deal could be had. He tempered that a bit.

“Until the ink dries on the paper, I never feel good.”

Cardinals fans should not be surprised to see a new deal for Peterson announced this offseason.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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Cardinals GM Steve Keim ‘very optimistic’ of D.J. Humphries’ return in 2020

The Cardinals believe Humphries has become one of the better tackles in the NFL.

One of the Arizona Cardinals’ most important free agents of the offseason is left tackle D.J. Humphries. He played the best season of his career and is set to cash in.

Signs point to his returning to the Cardinals in 2020.

Why is that?

“I would just say that I’m very optimistic that D.J. will return,” Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

Of course, that doesn’t really reveal much, especially since chairman and team president Michael Bidwill suggested the team could use the franchise tag on Humphries, which would keep him in Arizona for at least one more season.

Keim sounds like he would like to avoid it.

“It’s certainly an option and we’ve talked about it,” he said. “Again, you always want to tie up your players that you feel good about and you want to come to an agreement moving forward to a longer-term deal than having to those things, for a number of reasons.”

Keim was very happy with Humphries’ play in 2019.

“(I’m) really proud of, not only the way he played, but sort of his maturation, the way he’s progressed as a worker, as a leader,” Keim said. “He’s always loved to play. He’s always been passionate and played hard. I think early on he was a young guy who had to get the big picture.”

Humphries did become a leader in the offensive line room. Offensive line coach Sean Kugler gets credit, too, but Keim believes in Humphries.

“We ran the football effectively this year and D.J. Humphries was a big reason for that. I think he played his best ball at the right time.”

While many will cite things like Humphries’ penalties in 2019 and his Pro Football Focus grade and ranking among other tackles, the Cardinals believe Humphries is a very good player.

“After looking at all the free agents so far and talking to our staff, I think we all feel very confident that D.J. Humphries has grown into one of the better tackles in the National Football League,” he said.

It sounds like Cardinals fans should be prepared for at least one more year of Humphries at left tackle and very likely the next several years.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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Cardinals have had talks with RB Kenyan Drake and want RB to return

Drake knows that GM Steve Keim wants him back in Arizona in 2020.

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A big offseason question for the Arizona Cardinals is whether or not they re-sign running back Kenyan Drake. He was acquired in a midseason trade from the Miami Dolphins and, even in just half a season, became the team’s leading rusher.

His play quickly relegated David Johnson to the bench.

Drake is now scheduled to become a free agent next month and is keeping his options open. However, the Cardinals and Drake have had contact, although it doesn’t sound like there has been much discussion about a new contract.

“I don’t want to get into details but we have had talks with Kenyan and I have made it clear we would like to have him back,” general manager Steve Keim said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Friday.

Keim has made it clear before that he would like Drake to re-sign. The question, of course, is what Drake is seeking. The Cardinals currently have more than $14 million tied up in the salary cap with David Johnson. They can’t really cut him because it will take more salary cap to cut him than to keep him, so if Drake is seeking top running back money after half a season of great production, the Cardinals probably can’t bring him back.

Drake is on the record saying he needs to do what is best for his family, so he might want to see what is out there in free agency and test the market rather than agree to a deal ahead of time.

In the final eight games of the season, Drake rushed for 643 yards and eight touchdowns. He had three games of at least 110 yards and scored seven touchdowns in the final three games.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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Michael Bidwill says GM Steve Keim deserves credit for direction of Cardinals

“I feel like we’ve certainly turned, and for as much as the Cardinals are going in the right direction, Steve Keim deserves a lot of credit for that.”

The Arizona Cardinals have not made the playoffs in their last four seasons and have only won 21 games total in those four seasons, including only eight in the last two seasons. For that reason, many feel that general manager Steve Keim should be on the hot seat. Many fans believe he should be fired.

Chairman and team president Michael Bidwill doesn’t agree. Just as Bidwill spoke of the confidence he has in Keim to fix the team when the team announced the firing of Steve Wilks in January 2019, he continues to give Keim support and praise.

What would Bidwill say to fans who aren’t a fan of Kiem?

“I’d say he just picked the rookie of the year,” he said in a radio interview on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Wednesday. “He obviously had a lot to do with hiring Kliff Kingsbury.”

Kyler Murray and Kingsbury are the two major bright spots for the team. In general, people see the Cardinals as an up-and-coming team. For that, Keim deserves credit.

“He’s done a lot of things right,” Bidwill said. “I feel like we’ve certainly turned, and for as much as the Cardinals are going in the right direction, Steve Keim deserves a lot of credit for that. I hope fans recognize that was a lot of his decision-making.”

He pointed out the trade for Kenyan Drake, who was the team’s leading rusher and looks like a player the team would like to bring back.

“There are a lot of good things that are happening,” he said.

He recognizes the criticism Keim has received but also blames last year’s issues on Keim.

“He’s received his fair share of criticism,” he added. “Some of these draft picks didn’t work out, but you look at just last year. Look at the number of starters that were not available on our defense. Had they been available, the season could have been on the defensive side of the ball much different. That had to do with injury and other things you can’t blame any general manager for.”

You can’t blame a GM for injuries of PED suspensions. The offense got better. The defense didn’t improve but because of reasons that Keim couldn’t likely have fixed.

It is true he has the team in the right direction. However, the fact they were in a bad situation to begin with was also largely his fault.

To Bidwill’s credit, he has allowed Keim to fix things. If things do get turned around, he will have been proven right and the mistakes Keim has made will simply be forgotten.

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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 Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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