The offseason has just begun and free agency is still a month away and the NFL draft another month after that, but that doesn’t keep us from speculating for the 2020 season and where we anticipate teams being in terms of competitiveness.
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a five-win season after a three-win 2018 but things appear to be looking up for 2020 and that shows in Doug Farrar’s brand new offseason power rankings for sister site Touchdown Wire.
The Cardinals make the top half of the league, coming in at No. 15 overall.
If 2018 was the Year of Mahomes and 2019 was the Year of Lamar … well, it’s quite possible that 2020 could be the season in which Kyler Murray ascends to the top group of the quarterback pantheon. In his rookie season, Murray put up two games with passer ratings over 100 against a fierce 49ers defense, and he didn’t look overwhelmed against any defense. There’s a lot to build on there, especially since Murray looks like a natural fit in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Questions surround the legitimacy of Murray’s weapons, with David Johnson’s possible upcoming release and the lack of a No. 1 receiver outside of 36-year-old Larry Fitzgerald, and the defense is in need of retooling aside from a few key pieces. But in what should be a murderously competitive NFC West, at least the Cardinals have the game’s most important position sewn up.
This is something to give Cardinals fans hope. The expectation is to see improvement and this would certainly mean that others outside Arizona see that as a real possibility.
Ranking them 15th suggests they will be competitive but probably out of the posteason. If the Cardinals can hang around the .500 mark, this coming season should be seen as a successful one.
Murray had a great rookie season. There is optimism he can become a star in 2020. That is also what the Cardinals are banking on moving forward as they build the team around him.
[vertical-gallery id=431797]
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
[protected-iframe id=”74c89baf5df8861f45d142d0fbf6fc3c-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/22400501/download.mp3″ ]
Ep. 256
[protected-iframe id=”5dba5baeefa8b7e9bfd11c4333d4b344-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/21947850/download.mp3″ ]