Now that the Super Bowl has been played and free agency is approaching in a month, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be looking at the top three offseason needs for each team. The next franchise under the microscope is the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona Cardinals Quick 2014 Review
The Cardinals were one of the best teams in football for a while. Through Week 11, Arizona was 9-1 with a three-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, who were both 6-4 at the time. However, the team finished 2-4 down the stretch and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in Carolina. Arizona was down to their third-string quarterback, though, and so the downfall was expected. The Cards have the 24th pick in the draft and will look to upgrade this roster even further in an attempt to return to the postseason in 2015.
Top Needs
Mobile Linebackers
Arizona was not great against mobile quarterbacks this season, and since NFC West rivals San Francisco and Seattle both possess players with that attribute, the Cardinals need to adjust. Larry Foote was tremendous in 2014, yet he is aging. Kevin Minter was not included in many of their sub packages, so the Cardinals should look to add either through free agency or the draft.
With their first-round pick, Arizona should look for someone like a Benardrick McKinney out of Mississippi State. I re-watched his game against Auburn, and McKinney flew around the field and was able to contain Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall and still defend the pass. Another potential pick could be Denzel Perryman out of Miami (FL), but I like McKinney because of his experience in the SEC.
Larry Fitzgerald
Figure out what to do with Fitzgerald. His cap number is huge at $23.6 million and Arizona could be doing a lot with that money. They have other options at receiver with Michael Floyd and John Brown, but Fitzgerald does a great job blocking and is a team leader. If the Cardinals could restructure his contract, that would be ideal since Fitzgerald still possesses some of the best hands in the NFL and gives Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer another dangerous weapon.
Upgrade Offensive Line
Jonathan Cooper had a pretty good rebound year in 2014, but the Cardinals should look to add interior offensive line depth. Veteran Lyle Sendlein returns, but the line struggled to create holes up the middle for the running game in 2014.
Running back Andre Ellington is great to run around the edges, and draft steal Kerwynn Williams had a solid second half of the season. Therefore, this team could benefit from adding a lineman through free agency or in the second/third round of the draft to either play right away or wait behind Sendlein for development until needed. Potential draft choices include Josue Matias out of Florida State and Arie Kouandjio out of Alabama, as both figure to be taken in the middle rounds.
Be sure to take a look at our other team needs articles, which you can find below.
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