The Arizona Cardinals were in an awkward position entering the 2023 NFL Draft. With a poor roster in need of a complete overhaul, a strong draft alone wouldn’t have been enough to turn the tide. However, some savvy moves combined with excellent draft choices have set the Cardinals up nicely for the future. But there are still some big decisions that lay ahead.
Change has been the mantra the last few months in Arizona. An emphatically disappointing 4-13 record – after a strong 2021 season that saw the Cardinals make the playoffs for the first time in six years – led to wholesale change across the board.
Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim were out, and brought in were Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and the Titans’ director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort to take on the roles of the head coach and general manager along with their respective staffs.
The general feeling around the league was that the 2023 season would be a punt for the Cardinals in all likelihood. Kyler Murray tore his ACL in December and isn’t expected to return to action until the middle of the 2023 season – if at all next year. There’s a realistic possibility the Cardinals – who have one of the worst rosters in the league – could be well behind the rest of the pack by the time Murray returns, so why risk his health when the team might be 2-7 anyways.
With that in mind, the aim for the Cardinals coming into the NFL Draft was to try and trade out of the No. 3 pick. Rumours were swirling in the lead-up to the draft that the Cardinals had fielded multiple calls from around the league, with teams believed to be wanting to trade up to grab a quarterback. That would allow the Cardinals to trade down, and still get a high-impact player, while accruing additional picks for the future.
Ultimately they did. And they nailed it. The Cardinals traded back with the Houston Texans, giving up the No. 3 pick to get the No. 12 pick, the No. 33 pick, the Texans’ 2024 1st, and a 2024 3rd round pick. The fact the Cardinals were able to get an early 2nd round pick, as well as the Texans’ own 1st in 2024, as opposed to the Browns’ one they got in the Deshaun Watson trade, is excellent value as well. The Texans will likely improve in 2023, but they could still have a bottom-five record in the NFL. Having that pick and their own 2024 1st could give them two top 5 picks.
In addition to the 2024 1st which sets them up for the future, what they did in the draft itself laid the foundation for their rebuild. After trading back to No. 12, the Cardinals traded back up to No. 6, giving up No. 12 and No. 34 to draft Paris Johnson Jr., the offensive tackle out of Ohio State. The Cardinals had been linked with Johnson over the last few weeks leading up to the draft, and some protection on the offensive line – especially in the wake of Murray’s injury – was paramount moving forward. Johnson has the ability to start immediately at left tackle but also can kick inside to guard if needed.
Filling out the trenches was key for the Cardinals. They were considered a soft and squishy team up front in the Kingsbury era and upgrading the front line was a point of emphasis for Ossenfort and Gannon. Gannon is known for the Eagles defense that led from the front line. So it made sense that the Cardinals’ second pick, the No. 33 pick, was used to draft an edge defender – LSU’s B.J. Ojulari, the younger brother of Giants’ edge rusher Azeez. Ojulari isn’t an elite athlete but is a refined pass-rusher with the ability to win on the edge at the next level. Prior to adding Ojulari, the Cardinals’ consisted of a group of inconsequential rushers, none of whom had played more than 260 snaps in the NFL in 2022. An injection of talent was sorely needed.
Much like every other team, Arizona was trying to improve the areas that failed them in 2022 – but the difference is they had significantly more ground to make up. Along with the Day 2 additions of Michael Wilson, a receiver who can contribute immediately, and Garrett Williams, a cornerback who will help add some depth and potentially start in the secondary, the Cardinals have done a fine job of setting themselves up for the future.
The 2023 NFL season might just be an exercise in figuring out who Gannon and Ossenfort want to be with the team long-term, with their eyes more focused on the 2024 draft and onwards, but the Cardinals are now in a much better position than expected even if it’ll still be a long journey.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
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