Arizona Cardinals Season Preview

The Cardinals were in the NFC Championship two seasons ago but after getting destroyed by the Carolina Panthers they disappointed failing to qualify for the post-season. The Cardinals don't look like a playoff team this year the way Carson Palmer played and seeing they lost more players than they gained. They do have one of the best coaches in the game in Bruce Arians.In a terrible division, the Cardinals could shock some people though and beat out the defending NFC West Champion Seattle Seahawks.

Arrivals/Departures:

Arrivals: Antoine Bethea, Karlos Dansby, Phil Dawson, Jarvis Jones
Departures: Drew Butler, Calais Campbell, Chandler Catanzaro, Marcus Cooper, Darren Fells, Tony Jefferson, Chris Johnson, Evan Mathis, Kevin Minter, Alex Okafor, DJ Swearinger, Earl Watford



Offence:

After having one of the best attacks in 2015, the Cardinals offence slacked off due to the play of quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer was a MVP candidate two seasons ago but struggled to find his rhythm last year. Backing up Palmer will be Drew Stanton and former 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert. David Johnson was possibly the best running back last year dominating the ground and passing game becoming the first player with 100 yards from scrimmage in his team's first 15 games. I don't think you can expect the same numbers from Johnson next year but he will still dominate the ground game in Arizona. Longtime Arizona Cardinals Andre Ellington will back up Johnson again this year. Larry Fitzgerald is nearing the end of his historic career and after coming so close to a Superbowl in 2009, Fitzgerald has failed to reach the big game since. Speedster John Brown is a good sidekick to Larry Legend as he will burn the tops of defences.



JJ Nelson should also contribute through the air bringing his speed to the flow of the game. Jaron Brown, Brittan Golden and Aaron Dobson will be used as depth wide receivers. Jermaine Gresham and Troy Niklas are both under-average tight ends but they will help in the red zone. Left guard Mike Iupati is a former pro bowler and will be the leader of the offensive line yet again. Former first-rounder DJ Humphries will protect Palmer's blindside while Jared Veldheer, AQ Shipley and Cole Toner round off a weak offensive line.

Defence:



The defensive line is not very satisfying in the desert anymore after the departure of freak-of-nature Calais Campbell to Jacksonville. Robert Nkemdiche has not lived up to his potential while Corey Peters is more of a backup. Rodney Gunter has steadily made gains but they could still improve his position. Chandler Jones is an elite pass rusher as he is one of three players with double-digit sacks in the past two years. Karlos Dansby is the biggest addition to this team after leading the Bengals in tackles last season. Deone Bucannon has been a solid safety over the last few years in Arizona and will continue to do so for years to come. Golden also brought the pressure last year finishing with a solid 12.5 sack season. Rookie first-round pick Haason Reddick adds depth to a position as does Kareem Martin and newcomer Jarvis Jones. Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu form one of the elite secondaries in the NFL when both are healthy. Peterson was named the top corner back on this year's top 100 players while Tyrann Mathieu missed the cut due to his injury problems. Brandon Williams and Justin Bethel will slot up next to Peterson at the corner back position while former 49ers safety Antoine Bethea starts at strong safety. Rookie Budda Baker fell in the draft but has the ability to make plays and become a NFL star at the safety position.

Special Teams:

The Cardinals special teams struggled last year so they decided to move on from kicker Chandler Catanzaro who only knocked down 75 per cent of his field goals last year. Punter Drew Butler has also moved on as they brought in Matt Wile to take on punting duties. Punt returns will be taken care of by all-pro corner back Patrick Peterson while rookie running back TJ Logan gets a shot to return kickoffs.

Starters:

Offence	Defence
Larry Fitzgerald	Robert Nkemdiche
John Brown	Corey Peters
JJ Nelson	Rodney Gunter
DJ Humphries	Chandler Jones
Mike Iupati	Karlos Dansby
AQ Shipley	Deone Bucannon
Cole Toner	Markus Golden
Jared Veldheer	Patrick Peterson
Jermaine Gresham	Antoine Bethea
Carson Palmer	Tyrann Mathieu
David Johnson	Brandon Williams

2017 Draft:

13. Haason Reddick
36. Budda Baker
98. Chad Williams
115. Dorian Johnson
157. Will Holden
179. TJ Logan
208. Rudy Ford

Top 10 Players:

10. Karlos Dansby

9. Deone Bucannon

8. Mike Iupati

7. Markus Golden

6. Carson Palmer



5. Chandler Jones

4. Tyrann Mathieu

3. Larry Fitzgerald

2. Patrick Peterson

1. David Johnson


Season Prediction: 8-8 (2nd in NFC West)
Last Year: 7-8-1 (2nd in NFC West)

Photo credit for Karlos Dansby goes to http://www.bengals.com/. Patrick Peterson/Tyrann Mathieu goes to http://www.foxnews.com/. Carson Palmer goes to https://www.profootballfocus.com/. David Johnson goes to http://www.foxsports.com/.