What Can Arizona Cardinals Fans Expect This Season?
Thu, Aug 10, 2023
by
CapperTek
The Cardinals finished last season with a record of 4-13, one of the worst in the league. In fact, only the tragically bad Chicago Bears did worse than the Cardinals in 2022. Naturally, fan expectations are lower than ever coming into this season, and we’re now just a few weeks away from the opening preseason games. Can the Cardinals exceed expectations, or will this be yet another bad year to be a football fan in Arizona?
(Photo by Adrian Curiel on Unsplash)
The online sportsbooks have already started taking bets on which team will win the Super Bowl at the end of the season. Right now, the Kansas City Chiefs are favored to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy once more, while Arizona sports betting sites have given the Cardinals the lowest chance of winning the Super Bowl. That’s hardly surprising given their performances last season, but it will at least serve to motivate the team to prove everyone wrong.
Cardinals Make Changes for New Season
After a terrible season in 2022, it’s hard for things to get any worse for Cardinals fans. That’s why there’s a quiet sense of optimism right now. In terms of their work in the offseason, the team mostly focused on setting up a rebuild for 2024, so fans can mostly expect this season to be another difficult one. However, there are some signs that the team will perform better, especially after replacing the general manager and entire coaching team.
The Cardinals went through a full organizational rehaul this year, starting with the appointment of Monti Ossenfort as the new General Manager in January. In addition, former Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jonathon Gannon was hired as head coach, and the rest of the coaching team was also replaced.
The Cardinals opted to let go of Zach Allen and Byron Murphy Jr, who joined the Broncos and the Vikings. In the meantime, they signed linebacker Kyzir White as a free agent from Philadelphia to improve their defensive line. White was ranked as twelfth among off-ball linebackers over the past two seasons in terms of stops in run defense.
While there weren’t any major moves for the Cardinals in terms of acquiring new players for their roster, the team clearly made some moves to set up a future rebuild. During the draft, they played it smart to trade for first and third-round draft picks in the 2024 draft while still getting their main target, Paris Johnson Junior.
In the meantime, the Cardinals are still awaiting the return of quarterback Kyler Murray, who is still going through rehab for his knee injury. It’s unlikely he’ll be back before the start of the season, though the Cardinals haven’t looked to find a replacement just yet.
Expectations for 2023 and Beyond
The complete overhaul of the organization is a key part of the rebuild process for the Cardinals, although fans will have to wait a bit longer before the team rebuild can be fully completed. This offseason, the main changes were to free up space in the salary cap and pick up future draft picks.
This upcoming season may be a write-off in terms of results, with a winning record as the main aim. However, there’s a clear willingness from the ownership to improve things, and that speaks well for the future of the team. The players currently on the roster have also spoken very positively about the change of atmosphere in the training ground and locker room.
For some players, including running back James Connor believes that the team has enough quality to prove doubters wrong. While it may be too early to set high expectations yet, the rebuild is going well, and this season will help to show which positions are needed the most.