A.J. Green as the Cardinals No. 2 receiver isn’t a guarantee
By Adam Patrick
A.J. Green might not be the best choice to be the No. 2 wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals next season.
This offseason, the Arizona Cardinals went out and added several veteran free agents on the wrong side of 30. This isn’t to say the guys the Cardinals signed won’t perform well in 2021, but the expectations for them are going to be lower than what they were just a few years ago.
One of these older veterans Arizona added in free agency is former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. After entering the NFL in 2011, Green went on to finish with at least 1,000 receiving yards in six of his first seven seasons.
However, Green hasn’t ended a campaign with 1,000 yards or more since the 2017 season, and in football years, that was ages ago.
A.J. Green shouldn’t be a lock for the WR2 role with the Arizona Cardinals
After missing all of 2019, Green was back on the field with the Bengals last season. In 14 appearances, the 32-year-old receiver finished with 47 catches for 523 yards (career-low) and two touchdowns (also a career-low).
Despite his play moving in the wrong direction, the Cardinals still went out and gave Green a one-year deal that came with a fully-guaranteed $6 million.
After Arizona added the former Cincinnati pass-catcher to their roster, most are assuming that he will step in as the team’s No. 2 receiver for the upcoming 2021 season. However, let’s not write this down in permanent marker just yet.
Not only is Green reaching the end of his time in the league, but there are other receivers on the Cardinals’ roster that are fully capable of challenging for the team’s No. 2 receiver role.
Christian Kirk‘s numbers since 2018 have been better than Green’s and Andy Isabella has the talent to move ahead of Green on the depth chart during this summer’s training camp. Even rookie Rondale Moore could emerge as a better option for the team’s offense than the former Bengals receiver.
Must Read. 3 free agents the Cardinals could sign before training camp. light
Arizona will have several position battles during this year’s training camp and preseason, but the fight for the No. 2 receiver role could turn out to be the most exciting of them all.