It was Nov. 10, and at State Farm Stadium, the Arizona Cardinals walked off the field thrilled with a 31-10 beatdown over the New York Jets.
The Cardinals’ season had recovered from a 1-3 and 2-4 start to win four consecutive games. At 6-4, they were in first place in the NFC West.
Arizona was headed into its bye week. Life was good.
Soon, the season would fall apart.
Crushing end to the season … but a glimmer of hope
The Cardinals lost five of their next six games before winning their season finale against the 49ers. By that game, the playoffs were gone.
Arizona’s season was a tale of two campaigns. There were wins and losses. The Cardinals weren’t good enough, really, to contend for the playoffs. But they weren’t bad enough to totally rebuild.
There were glimpses of excellence. There were taxing stretches of inconsistency. But the Cardinals ended the season with this belief: They weren’t as bad as their 8-9 final record might indicate. That belief goes against conventional NFL orthodoxy, as preached by Rev. Bill Parcells: “You are what your record says you are.”
But the record notwithstanding, the Cardinals knew they had a clear path to success. Their weaknesses were obvious. They knew they had work to do.
Successful offseason … so far
Coming into the offseason, Arizona needed to strengthen its lines, improve its receiving corps, get a pass rush that got to the quarterback … and more. Teams that are 8-9 generally aren’t a player away from making the playoffs.
So far, so good.
Arizona made an important move Thursday by extending the contract of star tight end Trey McBride. The Cardinals made McBride the league’s highest-paid tight end. McBride caught 111 passes last season as Kyler Murray’s favorite target.
The signing of free agent edge Josh Sweat made the Cardinals’ pass rush immediately better. Arizona needed a big-time pass rusher and Sweat had done exactly that with the Super Bowl champion Eagles. Adding defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson, an established run-stopper, could have the Cardinals thinking their defensive line won’t be a liability.
Same with bringing back veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell, a franchise icon.
Signing linebackers Mykal Walker and Akeem Davis-Gaither gives the Cardinals much-needed depth at that position.
Re-signing guard Evan Brown was an underrated move. Brown is a solid player who played in all 17 games last season.
Who will they draft at 16?
Plugging holes with free agents gives the Cardinals flexibility with the 16th overall pick. Mock drafts consistently have the Cardinals selecting an edge or defensive lineman.
But ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum said the Cardinals will target Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden. Another mock draft has Arizona going after an offensive lineman.
Arizona might be in position to take the best player available, given the number of areas that still need improvement. With the 16th pick, the Cardinals hope to get an immediate starter, or someone who is close.
The Cardinals have checked a lot of boxes this offseason. A perceived successful draft will send the Cardinals into training camp with hope they are past the mediocrity of 8-9.