5 more reasons to be excited about the 2023 Arizona Cardinals
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals are supposed to be one of the worst, if not the worst team in the NFL this season, something that isn’t exactly news these days. And as you know, several outlets have accused them of tanking for the most mundane reasons:
- Taking the conservative approach in free agency so they could set the foundation for building a potential contender through the NFL Draft
- Cutting DeAndre Hopkins, even if 2023 was the perfect season to eat up the dead cap space
- Cutting Colt McCoy, who somehow became a viable backup in the eyes of many overnight
- Trading Isaiah Simmons for a seventh round pick, even if he looked everything but comfortable in the defensive backfield
- Trading Josh Jones for a fifth round pick, even if Jones never broke into the starting lineup on a full-time basis
You can name more, but these five reasons jump out more than anything else. But this is ironically one reason you can get excited for the Cardinals 2023 season - general manager Monti Ossenfort isn’t making the same mistakes as his predecessor, Steve Keim.
But there are other, and bigger reasons to get excited for the Redbirds in 2023. Keep reading, and you will discover five of them.
Why Arizona Cardinals fans should get excited about their team
1 - Rookie and young player development
The Arizona Cardinals have over 15 first and second year players on the roster, not counting those currently on reserve lists, so it shows you just how young this team is. Yes, that means growing pains, but it also means the Cards will find plenty of gems that will become cornerstones for this team long-term.
Guys like Paris Johnson, Kei’Trel Clark, and Michael Wilson are just three of many players capable of being immediate contributors from Day 1. Keep an eye on them and all the young players, and watch them develop week-by-week.