Every NFL team’s most underrated offensive weapon entering 2020
Arizona Cardinals: Andy Isabella
The Arizona Cardinals offense saw an offensive revival with Kyler Murray at the helm; in Kliff Kingsbury’s spread system, the Cardinals offense was able to jump from the worst scoring unit in 2018 to the 16th highest scoring unit in 2019. While that jump may not seem impressive, Kingsbury and Murray should be lauded as miracle workers for getting anything going with the injuries they had to their receiving core and the lack of talent along the offensive line.
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The Cardinals attempted to redo their receiving core in last year’s NFL draft, where they selected three receivers with their first seven draft choices. One of those receivers, Andy Isabella, is a prime candidate to see greater production in 2020 and develop a featured role in this offense.
Isabella didn’t receive many opportunities in 2019, as he never played more than 37 percent of the snaps and garnered just 13 targets. Yet, when he did get the ball in his hands, he looked electric. Isabella’s best play of the season came when he took an out route 88 yards to the house against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football.
The next week, he caught three balls for 78 yards against an ailing Buccaneers secondary, including a 55-yard reception. He had a 90 percent true catch rate and looked to be an intriguing option to develop with Murray.
It’s unclear why Isabella saw limited usage as a rookie, but his talent and second-round pedigree should be enough to give him more opportunity next season. He was able to show great explosiveness and speed with his limited touches last season, so he could fly under the radar as a viable weapon in 2020.