By Nick Brinkerhoff
As someone with a lot of sources, I can safely tell you that the heat has been turned up a notch in the desert, Arizona specifically. Trust me.
Of course it’s always hot in the desert, but don’t forget, it’s a dry heat. At least that’s what they say. Remove that humidity and it’s a comfortable 65 degrees outside, like a nice spring day. Sure, whatever they say.
For the Arizona Cardinals though, there is heat and humidity, and plenty of it. The team managed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015, but let’s not forget the Cardinals were media darlings heading into last season and for good reason.
They were coming off a disappointing end to the 2020 season, but overall felt encouraged due to the play of quarterback Kyler Murray. There were supposed to be no excuses in 2021, but then they got embarrassed by the Rams in a 34-11 beatdown in the Wild Card Round.
But entering 2022, the heat is so extreme that the NFL will probably have the team sign a waiver before training camp begins to avoid a lawsuit.
By the way, here’s a quick side note. Signing a waiver to prove you can handle hot and spicy foods is bizarre behavior, not brave. But to each their own I suppose. Anywho, let’s get back to business here.
With star receiver DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first six weeks of the season after violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, the Cardinals offense will find life to be difficult until the middle of October.
Specifically Murray. So who needs to step up, and who needs to keep this offense afloat?
The Cardinals offense will go as far as Marquise Brown takes them.
General manager Steve Keim saw the potential void in the offense, and quickly acted on it, sending pick 23 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Brown and a third round pick.
It was a good move from Keim, although the compensation may be a bit questionable considering what the Eagles were able to acquire A.J. Brown for.
The 5’9” Brown is a more undersized receiver, but has plenty of speed, although there are questions as to whether he can be a capable number one receiver. Despite holding down that role in a run-heavy Baltimore offense, he will have a much more expanded role in this Cardinals passing attack.
Brown has shown consistent growth in his three year career, topping 1,000 yards receiving for the first time last season. He also hauled in 91 receptions, up from 58 and 46 in his first two seasons.
The problem lies more so on the arm of Murray though. Can he be successful with a receiver that he can actually see eye-to-eye with? He relied so much on the size and contested catching ability of Hopkins for success over the last two years. Brown is not built in that same mold.
But without Hopkins in 2022, the Cardinals offense failed rather miserably, finishing with a 1-4 record and topping 20 points only twice in the five games played without him once he got injured again in Week 14. Hopkins’ role as a decoy at times was no longer there, putting pressure on other receivers to win matchups, something head coach Kliff Kingsbury probably hopes Brown can accomplish this year.
The Cardinals’ success in 2022 will depend largely on the play of Murray and whether the team does not fall apart by Week 7 when Hopkins returns. In reality, that burden falls on Brown, the guy tasked with keeping an entire passing game afloat for a large chunk of the season.
Those questions about being a true number one receiver? We’ll be finding the answer to that shortly.