The Arizona Cardinals aren’t shining in terms of their open head coaching position per Mike Sando of the Athletic, who ranked them last among the openings.
Well, the good news is that the Arizona Cardinals have a meeting scheduled with the great Sean Payton this week. The bad news? Per one respected journalist, Mike Sando of The Athletic, the Redbirds have the lowest-ranked head coach opening in the NFL.
Not what we wanted to hear, I know, but there are several shortcomings to the Cardinals job. And it might just deter Payton from coming to the desert. So what’s up? Why did Sando rank the Cardinals job as the least desirable of the five openings? Let’s dive in.
Arizona Cardinals head coach opening doesn’t shine
For one, the Cardinals roster is older, with players like DeAndre Hopkins, Zach Ertz, and an aging offensive line as the biggest names. However, many are speculating the Cards could trade Hopkins while the likes of Rodney Hudson, Kelvin Beachum, and Justin Pugh likely played their last game as Cardinals.
So if not for an aging roster, there is still plenty of roster turnovers the Cardinals could be dealing with. Then of course, there is the mystery regarding quarterback Kyler Murray. Will Murray return in September, and when he does return, what will he look like?
Further, Murray hasn’t been the most mature quarterback in recent memory. Would a coach even be willing to put up with him?
Sando also implied that owner Michael Bidwill hasn’t been the fairest owner. He cited Steve Wilks’ one-and-done tenure in the desert as proof, while at the same time, letting former general manager Steve Keim’s DUI slide. And we know how strong of a friendship Bidwill had with Keim. That, in my opinion, is a MAJOR red flag.
Overall, Bidwill’s favoritism toward Keim is not a good look, and it’s understandable why any candidate would be apprehensive about joining the Redbirds. Further, will this favoritism extend to Murray, who in the eyes of many fans, is going to need to do a lot to redeem himself?
And finally, with an aging roster and likely turnover coming, is Bidwill going to stay patient enough for the new head coach and general manager Monti Ossenfort to rebuild what needs to be rebuilt? There are a lot of questions and red flags surrounding the Cardinals, so hopefully, a willing coach will navigate through them. We will find out soon enough.
Article Source: Ranking the NFL head coach openings, a Super Bowl pick and more: Sando’s Pick Six by Mike Sando
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