Arizona Cardinals face dilemma: Playoffs or rebuild in 2018?

When your head coach and star quarterback both retire, its safe to say some questions arise. The Arizona Cardinals face a dilemma in 2018. Do they go for the playoffs or rebuild?

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals were busy this offseason, both positively and negatively. Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer retired, so the team added veteran passers Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. David Johnson is returning from injury to regain his mantle as the best running back in the NFL. But then Arizona lost John Brown and Jaron Brown in free agency without yet replacing the wide receivers.

Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Bethel, and Tramon Williams all departed from the secondary. The Cardinals, though, beefed up their offensive line with the signings of Justin Pugh and Andre Smith. Up and down, up and down. The Cardinals now face a dilemma. Do they rebuild or make a run at the playoffs?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Arizona Cardinals in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

Does this give Arizona a net better team than it had in 2017? It is hard to tell at this point. It could have a really solid offense if all the pieces remain healthy, but that group still needs one or two more receiving threats on the outside. The defense could remain good — it was a legitimately elite group in 2017 — but it probably needs one more pass rusher (who doesn’t?) and some more depth in the secondary. Those aren’t huge holes for a team that went just 8-8 and finished in third place in its division a year ago. But it is a shortcoming in what appears to be a division on the fast rise.

Many folks assume that Arizona is going to draft a quarterback of the future with its first pick in the NFL Draft. Lamar Jackson is a target. This makes sense, but it also will undermine the chances for 2018’s roster to compete for the playoffs. What if an elite wide receiver can be drafted 15th overall instead? That could push this Bradford-led offense over the top. People forget how good Bradford looked last year before getting hurt. He, of course, always gets hurt. But as long as he lasts, the Cardinals could be a contender.

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Then there is the issue of new head coach Steve Wilks starting his tenure without a quarterback he necessarily believes in. Does that alone make drafting a quarterback early a necessity? Otherwise, Wilks will continually feel that he is just biding time until the actual offense he wants begins. And that will happen whether Bradford (or Glennon) is successful or not.

Arizona feels trapped between a rebuild and a competitive roster. It is just a few moves away from either direction. Against the pending juggernaut that is the Los Angeles Rams, stuck between realms is not a feasible plan. The Cardinals must choose where they are headed. I say compete. Windows are too small in this league to waste what could be two talented units under a rising head coach.

Dan Salem:

Arizona keeps coming in second, no matter what its competing for. Yet that does not mean this team should stop trying and hit the rebuild button. David Johnson’s return alone is enough to warrant going all-in on competing in 2018. You don’t waste the prime years of any star player, let alone a running back. He might be the best offensive player in the league this coming season. Arizona must add more talent in the draft and push for the playoffs. They can not draft a first round quarterback.

Even if one of the top five passers falls to the Cardinals at 15, they must avoid drafting a quarterback. This would send the wrong message to a team poised to compete for the playoffs. There is very little separating Arizona from the likes of Atlanta, Carolina, Seattle and Green Bay right now. The Cardinals defensive holes can easily be filled in the draft and there will be wide receivers available who are ready to start this season. All of this is predicated on believing Bradford can once again play solid football. He keeps exceeding expectations when healthy and I believe he is due to have a healthy stretch of his career. Very few players are always hurt, so it’s time Bradford played out a full season.

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The second or third round could net Arizona a quarterback, but not at the expense of a potential starter. I want the Cardinals to make a playoff run this season, then hit reset if necessary next year. The Jets did something similar when Todd Bowles came in as head coach. They had a great season in year one, but ultimately missed the playoffs. New York hit reset probably a year late, because they believed they still had it in year two.

Arizona is not there yet and has Johnson running the football. It’s year one under Wilks. His team can unseat the Seahawks for second in the NFC West and get a Wild Card berth in the process. Unfortunately, I do not see anyone toppling the Rams this season.