Arizona Cardinals 2022 Training Camp Preview (Football Outsiders)

kerouac9

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Heading Into Camp: Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury achieved all of their offseason objectives. 1) They earned lavish contract extensions despite having not accomplished very much for three years; 2) They successfully friend-zoned Kyler Murray; 3) They tossed more cookies and ice cream (Marquise Brown, rookie tight end Trey McBride) into their offensive shopping cart, even though they were sent to the grocery store for vegetables like reinforcements at cornerback, on the offensive line, and just about everywhere else.

Now it's time for Kingsbury to toss the roster into a blender and create another smoothie. This time, he needs to make sure that it's not cool and refreshing in the early autumn but lumpy and rancid come December.

Camp Battles to Watch: The Cardinals will try to replace Chandler Jones with some combination of Devon Kennard and rookies Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati) and Cameron Thomas (San Diego State). Kennard is a high-effort journeyman who has recorded just three sacks in the last two seasons. Sanders and Thomas are both big and toolsy as heck, but the Cardinals have a rotten track record with toolsy young linebacker/edge prospects (see Zaven Collins, Isaiah Simmons, Haason Reddick). J.J. Watt and Markus Golden are still around, but they are more like second and third pass-rush options these days than double-digit sack guys, and the Cardinals secondary is going to need a lot of help.

Fantasy gamers should keep an eye on the tight end battle, where Zach Ertz will start but McBride will battle Maxx Williams eat up some share of the targets. Williams is expected to start camp on the PUP list, which will open up opportunities for McBride, a smooth short-to-intermediate route-runner and pass-catcher in the mold of the young Ertz.

Newcomer to Obsess Over: Marquise Brown is an upgrade over Christian Kirk in the slot and should be a viable WR1 during DeAndre Hopkins' six-game suspension. Rondale Moore is also still in the picture, but there's plenty of room in Kingsbury's gadgety offense for two slippery slot guys, and Brown is a much better deep option. Brown will make the Cardinals even more fun to watch during the regular season. But then, fun has never been the Cardinals' problem in the Murray-Kingsbury era.

Training Camp Circle-It Date: The exact dates weren't official at press time, but the Cardinals and Titans will practice together ahead of their preseason finale in Nashville on August 20. The joint practices will provide many more opportunities for both press pools (and their social followers) to watch Murray throw to his battalion of playmakers than any preseason game.
 
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kerouac9

kerouac9

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They successfully friend-zoned Kyler Murray

Brown will make the Cardinals even more fun to watch during the regular season. But then, fun has never been the Cardinals' problem in the Murray-Kingsbury era.

The joint practices will provide many more opportunities for both press pools (and their social followers) to watch Murray throw to his battalion of playmakers than any preseason game.

This time, he needs to make sure that it's not cool and refreshing in the early autumn but lumpy and rancid come December.
Just a few choice reasons for why I love FO so much. LOL.
 

football karma

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They tossed more cookies and ice cream (Marquise Brown, rookie tight end Trey McBride) into their offensive shopping cart, even though they were sent to the grocery store for vegetables like reinforcements at cornerback, on the offensive line, and just about everywhere else.
i like this one, because it captures Keim's method
 
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