What the Arizona Cardinals must do to contend in NFC West
By Sion Fawkes
Improve the defensive backfield
While I’d love to see the Cardinals draft either DeVonta Smith or Rashod Bateman to complement Hopkins, the Cardinals need a lot of help in the secondary. Mainly at corner. Patrick Peterson lost a step, and no one other than Byron Murphy is capable of becoming a long-term solution.
Luckily, the Cardinals are set at safety as long as they stay healthy with Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson. If Thompson especially stays healthy, the Cardinals have a dynamic duo.
But they need to bring in corners both via free agency or the NFL Draft. Far too often, opponents exploited weakness at the position. With Peterson unable to cover like he used to, Dre Kirkpatrick on the back-end of his career, and Robert Alford missing two seasons, the position became a revolving door.
If the Cardinals improve at corner, a few things can happen. For one, it will allow their already-stellar pass rush to become even more dangerous. Especially if they hold onto Haason Reddick or Dennis Gardeck. For another, it will allow them to keep pace with the dangerous passing attacks among their division rivals in Seattle and Los Angeles.
Peterson could still have a place on the team if they bring him back. And he may even be able to morph between corner and safety, coming a utility player. Murphy is better in the slot than he is on the outside. If they keep Peterson, allow Murphy to play his natural position, and acquire fresh legs on the outside, then they just got deep what may have been their weakest position group in 2020.