Arizona Cardinals: 5 players who need to improve

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The Arizona Cardinals may be 6-2 but not everyone is performing to the best of their abilities

We’ve talked a lot about the Arizona Cardinals and just how well certain players are performing.  However after reaching the halfway mark of the season, it is time to evaluate who needs to show improvement.

This week Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians called out defensive end Calais Campbell.  He said his sack total can be so much better.  While true, he still is pressuring quarterbacks, so I don’t have him on my list of five guys who need to show the most improvement.

Oct 18, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington (38) rushes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Andre Ellington

I won’t be the first and definitely not the last guy to say that the lack of production is not entirely Ellington’s fault.  Unfortunately the guy is injury prone.  His injury in week one though gave running back Chris Johnson though the kick he needed to get going.

Ellington has been back for four weeks now and has played very sparingly.  Who knows if he is in some sort of doghouse?  He might not be as fully recovered from his injury that we have been lead to believe.

Whatever the case is, Ellington, when he has gotten into games, hasn’t shown enough to keep him on the field longer.  Against the Cleveland Browns, he only carried the ball three times for no gain and did not record a reception.  He was almost a forgotten man all together.

Whatever the case, Ellington is going to have to make the most of whatever playing time he gets.  If he keeps pulling off no gain performances, even if just in three carries, I guarantee he won’t be seeing more time, he’ll be seeing even less.

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