Although the NFC is as wide-open as it ever has been, the Arizona Cardinals are one of several teams not expected to be in the playoff race this coming season.
The Cardinals have a new head coach in Jonathan Gannon who is hoping to change the culture and philosophy of the organization, though the roster he is inheriting is far from a finished product.
Gannon is already starting behind the 8-ball as he will be without starting quarterback Kyler Murray for at least the first few weeks of the 2023 season as he recovers from a torn ACL that he sustained last December.
The offense will be run by either Clayton Tune or Joshua Dobbs, two options that aren’t instilling much confidence or hope in Cardinals fans.
Even though Arizona has a few veterans who can still contribute at the NFL level, the rest of the roster is largely unproven and not expected to surprise opponents.
The projected starting offense for the Cardinals was recently posted via CBS and it’s hard to imagine it striking fear in defenses over the course of the season.
How many wins for the Cardinals in 2023??? pic.twitter.com/50qk4zbCFo
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) August 29, 2023
The sobering reality for Arizona is that 2023 will most likely be a lost year that results in a high draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While Murray is expected to return at some point during the season, the Cardinals will most likely be too far behind in the loss column to truly make any sort of push.
However, perhaps the down year is what the franchise needs in order to reset itself for the long term.
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Fans React To Cardinals HC Seeking ‘Competitive Advantage’