The Arizona Cardinals got younger than you think in 2023
By Sion Fawkes
When the 2023 NFL season began, the Arizona Cardinals got younger, but they still had one of the older overall rosters in the NFL. That has changed since late August, as the Cardinals, per Go PHNX, have 33 players on their 53-man roster who are either rookies or in their second season in the league.
That’s one young football team heading to Philadelphia, but it was the ideal scenario for the Cardinals, who didn’t perform to expectations with an older team in the past, so why not break it down and let the kids play this season? Among those 33 players with two seasons of experience or less, 14 of them are rookies, and 13 have seen playing time this season.
Youngsters invading the Arizona Cardinals roster better sets the foundation
With so many youngsters having made their way to the desert this season, it sets the stage for these rookies and second-year players to grow and make strides together. Of course, when you have an inexperienced football team, 3-12 is the likely outcome in Year 1, but it also signifies better days are ahead IF most of these guys, and especially the coach and front office, stay together.
Realistically, not everyone will stay, and that’s just the nature of the NFL. But, if the most productive first and second-year guys stick around, and the batch coming in for 2024 also stays long-term, and ownership remains patient with Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon, by 2025, we will see a much better football team reaping the rewards that this tough season has bought.
Sure, growing pains will always accompany a team getting not just young, but ultra-young, in an attempt to rebuild a foundation following the disaster of the previous regime. But with over 60 percent of the current roster in their second year or less, it signifies better days for the Arizona Cardinals if a significant portion of them remain in Glendale.
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Source: Arizona Cardinals roster even more young and inexperienced by Howard Balzer, GOPHNX.com