Four Arizona Cardinals cornerstones to get excited about

Every successful franchise needs four cornerstone players to build a team around and the Arizona Cardinals are no different.

When you look at the most successful NFL franchises in 2020 and over the past decade, most possess a few common denominators. They often have a franchise quarterback capable of leading their teams out of tight spots, a dynamic playmaker on offense, a defensive gamechanger, and a stellar jack-of-all-trades.

If you look at the Arizona Cardinals roster, they have all the pieces in place not just to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy in 2020. They have four cornerstones in place who can transition this franchise to one of those remembered fondly as a team of the decade.

This isn’t comparing the Cards of the 2020s to teams like the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, and the 2000s and 2010s New England Patriots. You can put those teams of the decade, dynasties, in other words, on a pedestal.

But it’s safe to say Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim pulled off some of the gutsiest moves in recent memory to transform the Cardinals from the NFL’s doormat in 2018 to a team capable of contending with the NFL’s best just two seasons later. Here are four cornerstones who will remain important puzzle pieces during the 2020s.