The Arizona Cardinals hosted their offseason program last month. And a few would-be cornerstones saw their respective stocks rise more than any other.
The Arizona Cardinals have a golden opportunity this season in terms of seeing their young players develop. With a substantially weaker roster than they had last season (at least on paper), you could see plenty of players who otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to rise up and perhaps transform into a serviceable piece for the Redbirds.
So who saw their respective stocks rise during the Cardinals offseason workouts? Here are three names that jumped out.
Biggest risers from the Arizona Cardinals offseason program
1 - Kyler Murray, QB
While Kyler Murray couldn’t practice during offseason workouts because he is still on the mend from a torn ACL, he was more involved with the team this offseason than he was over the previous four combined. Drafted to be the team’s franchise quarterback in 2019, Murray looked like he was anything but that in 2022, but his actions so far in 2023 have stated otherwise.
If Murray continues to display attention to detail, sound leadership skills, and a desire to return to the field without missing a beat (or with as little rust as possible), then he could also claw his way back into a top 15 ranking among NFL quarterbacks. And there will be room to rise even further beyond 2023.
2 - Zaven Collins, OLB/EDGE
Seldom, do you see a player perform well in one position the previous year, before they make an inevitable position change. But that was the case with Zaven Collins, who spent his first two years predominantly at linebacker before switching to outside linebacker/EDGE for 2023.
While we don’t know what Collins will look like when the pads come on, he’s shown decent early returns as far as offseason workouts go. If he continues to build on his success, then Collins will become a mainstay at outside linebacker/EDGE in Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis’ system.
3 - Isaiah Simmons, CB/S
Perhaps no one benefited more than 2020 first round pick Isaiah Simmons. After three seasons of serviceable splash play and being misused in former defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense, Simmons finally found stability when we discovered he would play in the secondary this season.
This takes pressure off the former star backer, whose spotty play we can attribute to the fact he never had a true position on the team. That’s no longer the case, and Simmons’ stock can skyrocket following what could be a solid training camp at one position unit.