The Arizona Cardinals had a lost season in 2023, as their starting quarterback Kyler Murray missed over half of the year recovering from ACL surgery. Despite that injury and adding a new head coach in Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals weren’t an easy out despite their 4-13 record.
3 things the Cardinals must do this offseason
Draft WR Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick.
The Cardinals still haven’t shown their hand as to what they will do with WR Marquise Brown, but even if they were to keep him around, the team still needs another top receiver for Kyler Murray and the offense. Harrison Jr. is the most likely receiver to be the first receiver on the board and all three teams ahead of Arizona need a quarterback. But, even if they were to somehow get scooped on Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze both are elite prospects to take early as well.
Add defensive line help
The Cardinals were near the bottom in pressures and sacks last season and need to upgrade on the line. They could find help in the draft, but it isn’t a great group of defensive linemen available this year. The Dolphins aren’t franchise-tagging DT Christian Wilkins, so he is a great option but will be sought after. The good news is that the Cardinals currently rank seventh-best in salary cap space available. If they wanted to make a real run at Wilkins, they could.
Add cornerback help
The Cardinals ranked 29th in yards per pass attempt allowed last season and near the bottom in PFF’s coverage grades. I would expect the team to go after a corner at some point in the draft. There is some top-end talent at the corner position and if things go well, they could land Harrison and a quality corner with their first two picks of the draft, while grabbing help on the line in free agency.