Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator could be one-and-done in the desert but not for the reason you may think

Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has done a fine job in making the best out of an awful situation for a first-year offensive coordinator. He didn’t have his star quarterback until last Sunday, when they showed fine chemistry in their win over the Atlanta Falcons. 

Petzing has another seven games to further develop and improve the Kyler Murray-led offense, and executives from quite a few teams that will inevitably look for a new head coach will be watching. If Petzing does the job well, then he could be one-and-done in the desert, with his success leading him to a potential head coaching job. 

Sound far-fetched? You may think so, since why would any organization in their right mind hire a young coach with just one season of experience as a coordinator, let alone a bad football team? Well, that’s where the development factor comes in, and Petzing has fared well in that regard. 

Arizona Cardinals head coach could be on a few teams’ shortlist for head coach

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com highlighted Petzing as one of a few names in the “candidates for the coming cycle.” Just check out what the respected Insider had to say about Petzing:

"“The Cardinals have started three different QBs (and played extended stretches without other key players) in a rebuilding season. Other coaches laud the job Petzing has done under challenging circumstances, and his reputation has been positive at every stop in his young coaching career.""

- Tom Pelissero

Source: Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald and Jerod Mayo among young NFL coaches to watch, NFL.com

Petzing has done a fantastic job, no doubt, and you can only wonder what the offense would have looked like had Murray never torn his ACL last year and had a full offseason to work with under the 36-year-old’s offense. Even so, Petzing managed to grind out some good performances from quarterback Joshua Dobbs, even if opponents started catching on to the signal-caller during his final few weeks with the team. 

But look at the young talent Petzing also had to work with. Trey McBride has excelled, while Michael Wilson is putting together a solid rookie season for a third-round pick. James Conner is on his way to enjoying his best statistical season ever despite missing four games, and Emari Demercado, an undrafted rookie, has been more than serviceable. 

Overall, few young coaches could have turned nothing into at least something the way Drew Petzing had. He knew the situation heading into the desert, and it didn’t faze him, so he more than deserves a look as a candidate when the inevitable head coach firings come. Ideally, we would like to see him stay with the Arizona Cardinals, but if he gets an offer, he must understandably take it.