With a new coaching staff and a whole new regime in the front office, the Arizona Cardinals will assess who they want to keep long term.
Jonathan Gannon and his staff will have to see which players are compatible with the new schemes and see which players will emerge as starters or key contributors. With a young roster full of promising talent, therev is always those players with that chip on their shoulder and those plyers that feel like they have been overlooked and passed up.
Well, sooner or later, a lot of these players get their opportunities to show and prove. Here are three players on the Cardinals roster that will be looking to make the most of in 2023.
3 Arizona Cardinals players looking to prove themselves
Isaiah Simmons/Star Backer
One would believe that Isaiah Simmons would be a part of the Arizona Cardinals young defensive core moving forward especially considering his versatility a s both a pass rusher and being able to drop back in coverage.
His positional versatility makes him a unique player who can be utilized in a variety of ways. He can play all three downs and is a solid tackler in space with good size. As a top 10 pick back in 2020, Simmons was expected to have an immediate impact for the Cardinals but this offseason the Cardinals declined Simons fifth year option further clouding his future with the team.
The decision was sort of a head scratcher considering that Simmons ranked 31st in tackles among all NFL linebackers, was top 10 in passes defended among all NFL linebackers and was tied with the third most interceptions at his position.
Even after a fairly decent season in which he put up some good numbers, Simmons might just come out with a chip on his shoulder and prove to the Arizona Cardinals front office that he is worthy of a long term contract and prove to them that they would be making a huge mistake if he isn't signed for the long haul. It's ultimately going to be up to Simmons to control his own destiny and prove that he can adjust to the new defensive scheme, steps up and performs like a top tier player.
Let's just say that Simmons makes the adjustment and is deemed worthy of a long-term contract by season's end. How much money will he command? Will a stellar season increase his market value exponentially?
Will he feel slighted about the Cardinals declining his option and look to sign elsewhere? However it goes Simmons has a lot riding on this upcoming season.