The Arizona Cardinals need to have a team full of sleepers if they want any hope of making things interesting in 2023. But they have one in Greg Dortch.
Despite putting together a solid season in 2022, Greg Dortch had to fight for every snap count from former head coach Kliff Kingsbury. And at the end of the season, he made the most of his 513 snaps in 2022, snagging 52 catches for 467 yards, and a pair of touchdown receptions.
In 2023, Dortch could once again find himself, at best, fourth on the depth chart behind presumed starters Marquise Brown, Michael Wilson, and Rondale Moore. Further, Dortch could even be the seventh pass-catching option on the Arizona Cardinals when you factor in Trey McBride and Zach Ertz, and he can even drop to eighth if you insert James Conner.
Dortch can be the Arizona Cardinals deepest sleeper this year
Despite the long odds, I still wouldn’t find it surprising if Dortch once again stepped up and turned in a good season. Injuries occur, and with Moore and Wilson having a history of such injuries, look for Dortch to once again make the most of his opportunities if one or the other are unable to go for any given reason.
Last year, Brown also missed a few weeks, while Ertz still may not be ready to go thanks to his knee injury from last season. Or at least in the early going. So if Dortch faces long odds once more in 2023, look for him to garner the coaching staffs’ attention, especially that of Drew Petzing’s, the second he gets his chance.
In a best-case scenario, Petzing realizes the value he has in Dortch, and inserts him into different packages from the get-go. And if this is the case, expect Dortch to record even better numbers in 2023 than he did in his overall limited opportunities in 2022. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if he logged 60-plus catches, 600-plus receiving yards, and at least four scores.
Source: Cardinals: 4 underrated sleepers who could break out in 2023 NFL season by Enzo Flojo, ClutchPoints.com
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)