An incredibly inept scoring attack will force the Arizona Cardinals to make some wholesale changes to their offense in 2019
It’s been painful watching the Arizona Cardinals offense this season. Scoring drives have been few and far between. Even first downs have been hard to come by.
Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy‘s play-calling has been abysmal. Still, the beleaguered assistant is not solely to blame. An extreme lack of talent on the field has also been a major factor.
With a record of one and five, the Cards can pretty much kiss this season goodbye. General manager Steve Keim needs to start mapping out a plan for 2019. Taking steps to improve the scoring attack would be a good place to start.
It may be a bit too early to know for sure, but first-year quarterback Josh Rosen appears to be the real deal. It’s much easier to repair an offense that has a young, talented passer in place. Rosen’s performance has been both good and bad thus far, but the 21-year old certainly looks like someone that Arizona’s front office can build around.
Running back David Johnson has been severely underutilized by McCoy. But even when he does carry the rock, the 6’1, 224 pounder doesn’t look as dynamic as he did during his first two years in the league. Johnson was inked to a three-year extension last month, so the club will have to find ways to get production out of him again going forward.
With rookie Christian Kirk being the exception, the wide receiver position is a mess. The great Larry Fitzgerald looks to be on his last legs, Chad Williams has been a disappointment and J.J. Nelson is rapidly playing his way out of the NFL. Some free agent possibilities in 2019 include Donte Moncrief, Quincy Enunwa, Tyrell Williams, Phillip Dorsett and Devin Funchess.
Tight end Jermaine Gresham is not as effective as he once was, most likely because of the myriad of injuries he’s been accruing. Ricky Seals-Jones has had moments of brilliance, but needs to be more consistent. Unrestricted free agents next offseason include Jesse James, Tyler Kroft, Maxx Williams and Geoff Swaim.
The Cardinals are adequate at right guard and center on the offensive line, but the remaining three spots could use some upgrading. Unfortunately, there’s not much free agent help available for the left or right tackle position in ’19. Candidates for left guard include Rodger Saffold, James Carpenter and Quinton Spain.
Ridding themselves of the incompetent McCoy should be the Cards first order of business. But an infusion of offensive reinforcements need to be added as well. In fact, considering how bad the offense has been in 2018, finding help for it should be a priority .
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