4 Arizona Cardinals who could exceed expectations this coming fall
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals could benefit from some surprise production out of several players who may not be expected to excel.
Take a look at the Arizona Cardinals roster, and you’ll find that the franchise has several players who possess a whole lot of star quality. There are quite a few organizations that would flat-out love to have the likes of J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins, Kyler Murray, Budda Baker, and Rodney Hudson on their payroll.
At the other end of the spectrum are a bevy of professionals who aspire to get to that elite level. Finally, unheralded Redbirds who have to fight, claw and do everything they can to get noticed among the best that the league has to offer.
Arizona employs a fair number of individuals who fit that description as well. However, the following are four unheralded Cardinals who could take a sizable step towards superstardom with their outstanding play this coming fall.
Josh Jackson- Cornerback
A little less than two months ago, the Cards added free agent Josh Jackson to what is looking more and more like an unimpressive crop of cover guys. The former second-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers was a replacement for Jeff Gladney, an offseason acquisition who died tragically when he crashed his car back on May 30th.
Arizona’s obvious lack of proven talent at the cornerback position could lead to a golden opportunity for the 26-year-old Jackson. However, the 6-foot, 196-pounder’s odds of winning a starting job improved substantially thanks to the unremarkable performance put forth this summer from second-year corner Marco Wilson.
Jackson’s play has cooled off a bit after he hit the ground running as a rookie for the Packers secondary back in 2018. Given a chance, however, the Texas native could progress to an even greater level for the Cardinals when the 2022 schedule gets underway.