The Arizona Cardinals have seen nothing but vast criticism regarding their 2023 offseason from many outlets. But one respected network stands alone.
In grading the Arizona Cardinals offseason, Josh Liskiewitz of PFF gave the Redbirds an outstanding A+ for their offseason. And quite frankly, it’s about time someone out there understood exactly what general manager Monti Ossenfort and company have set out to accomplish.
While I believe the Cards have a roster capable of at least putting together a respectable win-loss record, I’ve also said that, in a worst-case scenario, this is a developmental season. So even if Arizona enters their Week 14 bye with a horrific record, 2023 is one of those strange years that should give fans a reason to tune in thanks to the fact they have an opportunity to see a young team develop.
Liskiewitz, while they admitted the Cards did the bare minimum in free agency, even going as far as to let a couple of respected players walk, they had an outstanding draft, thanks in part to their big trade with the Houston Texans. The trade also gave them enough stock to trade back up without losing much to land Paris Johnson Jr.
PFF gives Arizona Cardinals a top offseason grade
Liskiewitz also gave the Arizona Cardinals credit for setting the stage for their 2024 Draft. The trade with Houston that allowed the latter to move back up to select who was arguably the best player in the class not only gave Arizona two picks heading into next season, but they are potential top ten selections, depending on how “Big Red” and the Texans fare in 2023.
Besides praising the Johnson pick, Liskiewitz was also a fan of the 41st overall selection, B.J. Ojulari and Day 3 pick, Kei’Trel Clark. The latter has also drawn praise from the NFL Network as a potential darkhorse candidate to start in 2023.
Overall, it was great to finally hear that someone realized the Arizona Cardinals offseason was much better than most of the NFL universe thought. It’s all about understanding Ossenfort’s process, and realizing that his intent this entire time involved building the team through the NFL Draft, thereby increasing the odds of lengthening the team’s window of success long-term.
Source: 2023 NFL Offseason report: Arizona Cardinals by Josh Liskiewitz, PFF.com