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.
Marco Wilson/Cornerback
Now that Byron Murphy Jr. has moved on via free agency, Marco Wilson inherits the number one cornerback spot on the Arizona Cardinals depth chart for now. The question is whether he is built for the job and will he be able to handle the enormous responsibility of having to cover the elite wide receivers in the NFL.
Wilson led the team in interceptions last season with three, and he also led the Cardinals in passes defended. Will Wilson take another leap with his development in his third season? Wilson's only competition appears to be Christian Matthew, Kris Boyd and rookies Garrett Williams, and Quavian White, but the job is expected to be his for the taking.
If cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith can come in and motivate Wilson and help him reach his potential by pushing him to the limit, then he could have a breakout season. I'm sure Wilson also kept the receipts on how many teams passed up on him in the draft due to character concerns and the famous cleat throwing incident when he was at the University of Florida. This is his golden opportunity to show those teams that they made a mistake when they passed up on him and this is his chance to make those teams regret that decision.
Rondale Moore/Receiver
Amid rumors of the team trading star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore's presence becomes more important with the uncertainty of Hopkins being on the opening day roster. Even though Marquise Brown is expected back fully healthy, the plan was for Moore to become a major weapon who is versatile and can produce big plays.
He has shown flashes of what he is capable of doing when healthy but Moore has been limited due to injuries and only play in a total of eight games last season. During that small sample size Moore impressed with 41 catches for 414 yards and a touchdown and the sky is the limit for him if he can remain healthy for an entire season.
It remains to be seen just exactly how Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing plan to utilize Moore as he could become a major asset for a potentially explosive offense. The scary part is Moore's ability to carry the ball as he can also line up in the backfield or in the slot as a decoy making him effective on jet sweeps and reverses.
If Moore gets any room to maneuver in the open field, look out. He can also be utilized on special teams returning punts and kickoffs. Petzing would be wise to design some plays to take advantage of Moore's special skill set and try to put the ball in his hands as much as possible. We know that he has the talent but the challenge is for Moore to stay healthy as a breakout season could be on the horizon.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)