The Arizona Cardinals really fell off in the back half of the 2014 season. After starting 8-1, the team lost starting running back Andre Ellington, quarterback Carson Palmer and a few defensive players as well. The motto that head coach Bruce Arians created was "next man up" for that very reason. This off-season, the Cardinals have been seldom talked about in the NFC playoff picture, with teams like Seattle, Dallas and Green Bay hogging the attention. However, the Cardinals at full strength are a team to look out for. A good draft and smart off-season make for a scary team in Phoenix. Lets re-cap their off-season, including the 2015 Draft.
Notable Additions
Drafting D.J. Humphries in round one made the Right Tackle position into a battle for training camp, which is likely still on-going. The return-starter is Bobby Massie, who did decently last season, but rumors are that he will start at Right-Guard, allowing the Cardinals first round pick to start alongside him. On the other-side, Arizona got a major upgrade by signing Mike Iupati, previously of the San Francisco 49ers. Along with their signing of Jared Veldheer last year, Arizona has vastly improved its front 5 in the past 2 seasons. They ranked 31st in rushing last season and only scored 6 rushing TD's, although Andre Ellington has proven to be more of a pass-catching back than between the tackles runner.
Speaking of which, the Cardinals 3rd round pick, David Johnson out of Northern Iowa, was considered by many to be the best pass catching back available in the 2015 draft, along with Melvin Gordon. Johnson could pass Stepfan Taylor and become the teams third, or even second RB by seasons end.
The team added veterans to their defense by signing Sean Weatherspoon, Lamar Woodley, Corey Peters, and Cory Redding. The latter two will be in a front 3 rotation with Calais Campbell and a few others, which helps to cover for the loss of nose tackle Dan Williams. Woodley hopes to return to his old form, where he was an elite edge rusher with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Antonio Cromartie is gone, so it seems that Tyrann Mathieu will switch between nickel back and free safety next to Deone Bucannon.
Offense
The Cardinals offense is mostly unchanged, aside from the front 5. Palmer and Ellington will likely continue to be steady players, if they can stay on the field. The receivers are solid with youngsters Michael Floyd and John Brown, who had a nice rookie season in 2014, who will be paired with veteran Larry Fitzgerald. Tight End is the Cardinals biggest weakness, as Troy Niklas and Darren Fells will likely be splitting snaps early-on. This team failed to score 30 offensive touchdowns in 2014, so a much needed boost on this side of the ball is in order Palmer, while healthy, tossed roughly 1,600 yards and 11 TD's, but backup Drew Stanton also got hurt and after that, the passing offense really sputtered to a halt. The improved O-Line will help protect the signal-caller and Veldheer only allowed one sack last season. Michael Floyd had a quiet 2014, after having over 1,000 yards and 55 catches the year prior. Him and Brown need to gel as the teams future duo, for this may be the last year for Fitzgerald. The passing offense, overall, was 14th in the NFL, but they did have just 9 TD's compared to 9 Interceptions after Palmer went down. The offense just needs to be somewhere between serviceable and solid with how good this defense is.
Defense
The Cardinals were one of 10 teams to allow less than 10 rushing touchdowns last season. They were also one of eight teams to, on average, allow fewer than 20 points per game. They have playmakers in the secondary such as Patrick Peterson and the aforementioned Tyrann Mathieu. The major issue for the defense was penalties, as they amassed just short of 1,200 yards in defensive penalties alone. The pass-interference and late-hit penalties need to be cut-down, as this is not a team with a dynamic enough offense to afford these kinds of errors. Pass rushers Shaquille Riddick and Markus Golden are likely long-term investments, as both are too raw to be depended on right away as rookies. However, the team has patched up some sore spots with solid veterans and should continue to be a top 10 NFL defense. Cutting down on penalty yards, however, will be the most important factor. We also should see a better Peterson in 2015 now that he has been treated for diabetes.
Schedule
The Cardinals will want to get off to another strong start in 2015, as the back half of their schedule looks pretty brutal. They have easier matchups such as the Browns, Saints, and Bears before their week 9 bye, but afterwards, its a tough road towards the finish. They face the Bengals, Eagles, and Packers in their last 8 games, in addition to both of their games against the Seahawks. When you play in the NFL's toughest division (arguably) there's no such thing as an easy schedule, but this one is a bit tougher than usual as they will face the AFC North and NFC North.
All-In-all, the Cardinals 2015 will be about staying healthy and building off of their 8-1 start last year, as opposed to their disappointing finish. Palmer needs to gel with Floyd and Brown and stay strong behind an improved offensive line. They will have to lean on their defense to allow no more than 17 points though, as their offense wont be getting very deep into the twenties on a weekly basis. Patrick Peterson will need to be dialed in and new additions such as Redding and Woodley will be counted to make plays as much as possible next to studs such as Campbell and Minter in the front 7. The departure of Todd Bowles is significant, but Arians has the staff in place to make sure this defense continues to play well and lead the Cardinals back into the post-season.