The Arizona Cardinals have been congratulated for their offseason moves, despite the obvious: Drafting a quarterback with a top 10 pick two years in a row is utterly foolish.
Most people seemed to like the reverse course the Arizona Cardinals pulled this offseason to right the ship that led to the worst record in the NFL. They aborted the Steve Wilks era and canceled their plans to build around Josh Rosen. No one has been as negative on the Cardinals as Dan Salem has been. The team’s plan was essentially to keep bringing in quarterbacks, using up vital assets in the process, until one hit. Does this actually make sense?
Arizona signed Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. They drafted Josh Rosen and then drafted Kyler Murray. Millions upon millions of dollars in cap space were needed for the first two moves. Two top-10 drafts picks, including the first overall selection this year, were needed for the second two acquisitions.
Through it all, Arizona has come out with Murray as a small-stature question mark and nothing else. It sounds kind of senseless when outlined in that way. Despite the obvious, the Arizona Cardinals are still being lauded for the biggest blunder in years.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Arizona Cardinals in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
I mostly agree with your sentiment that Arizona made a mistake, but allow me to play devil’s advocate. The moves were sunk costs after they were made. If the team truly does not believe Rosen is a franchise quarterback, there is zero reason to keep him around as one and avoid drafting Murray just because the former was a top-10 pick. That pick cannot be altered. The smart move is to take the quarterback everyone believes in and wipe your hands of previous mistakes.
Okay, that’s it, because mostly I agree this has been an under-reported bone-headed move. How can any front office truly believe Rosen went from franchise prospect to worth so little in half a season playing under a disaster of a coaching staff? Management fired the head coach after one year because it thought so little of him. Yet it wouldn’t give Rosen a chance to play under a coach with backing?
Passing on Murray would have allowed the Cardinals to draft Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams to slot in next to Chandler Jones. Right now, the front seven appears to be lacking one more impact piece, especially as the newly signed Terrell Suggs reaches the end of his career.
Things on defense went from bad to worse once Arizona passed on the best defender in the draft. Patrick Peterson is now suspended for six games for testing positive for PEDs. If both of these moves went in the other direction, Arizona could have been one of the premier defenses in the NFC.
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The team reportedly knew about Peterson’s pending suspension before the draft took place, so who knows if that factored into any decision. Logically, it should not have, at least in terms of early round selections.
I’m very down on Arizona entering this year. I expect the defense to be average at best, and I think the offense will go through major growing pains as it builds around a new system, new coach, and new quarterback. This is not surprising for the worst team in the NFL, but things could have been so different.
Everyone has the future in mind, but how many more wins would a team led by Rosen and Bosa have gotten than this current squad? This is the start of a major what-if scenario, but instead of it coming down to random luck that swung the tides, it was entirely Arizona’s decision; one they will be elated with if Murray becomes a game-changer.
Dan Salem:
It’s absolutely shocking that the majority of the NFL world has been behind the Arizona Cardinals every step of the way, yet ripped to shreds other teams for lesser moves. The New York Giants were destroyed for drafting Daniel Jones. The New York Jets were cremated for firing their general manager. Yet Arizona burns money and the house, but nobody bats an eye. Instead, the Cardinals are being lauded for their decisions. Shame.
I believe a head coach needs five years to fully realize his team, but that is unrealistic. Most coaches are exposed after three seasons. You know if what they are doing is actually working with their team. Arizona gave their rookie coach one year. I can excuse the firing and hiring of a new rookie coach because only the Cardinals know what went on behind closed doors. If it wasn’t working, then fix it. Things can only get better.
Yet, why did the team hire a head coach that loves to run an offense that fails to complement its current quarterback? Why did the Arizona Cardinals want Murray so bad that they hired a coach who needed him to succeed? This is a case of the shiny new toy.
Rosen was not the top quarterback last season, but he surely would have been this year. Murray was the top quarterback this year, but would have been way down the list last season. How easy we forget Rosen’s intangibles and abilities after one rocky rookie year.
He did not play all that bad. His team was awful, abysmal, the worst in the entire league. Arizona gave him no protection, hardly anyone to throw to, and a defense that couldn’t stay on the field. This is what Murray now inherits because little else has improved for Arizona. Consider Rosen lucky.
I was high on Rosen last season. As a Jets fan, it was a tough call between him and Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. Both Mayfield and Darnold played well overall, with Mayfield currently holding the edge. Josh Allen had a rocky first year. At least one of these four players will bust, but it’s impossible to know after a season.
The reason I hate what Arizona did is because it completely handicaps the team for no reason. You had two top-10 picks and failed to improve your football team outside of one position. Neither player they drafted was the best available. Murray did not even fill a position of need. What else is there?
We debated draft value and actual value a few weeks ago. This move comes down to Rosen being associated with the last coaching staff. His value isn’t lower because he has NFL experience. Murray’s value isn’t higher without experience. At least the Cardinals can take solace in knowing they’ll be drafting in the top five once again in 2020. Perhaps they’ll pick Tua Tagovailoa then.