A small, behind-the-scenes rebranding has occurred in the state of Arizona.
BREAKING: Arizona Cardinals unveil new logo pic.twitter.com/wNl9ptLLQ2
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) March 1, 2021
The Arizona Cardinals seemed to not even be in the conversation for J.J. Watt.
It turns out, they were leading the pack this whole time.
J.J. Watt played his social media games and confused NFL fans all across the country.
A fake Peloton account (KjWatt) listed the Packers, Bills, and Browns as his top 3 choices.
A popular meme returned in a “Midocondria is the powerhouse of the cell” tweet by Watt.
Just a bunch of smoke while Watt was drying the ink on a 2 year $31M deal with the Cardinals.
Hours can be spent trying to argue whether this was a smart deal for the Cardinals or if Watt is just money chasing.
For now, we need to figure out what this means for the Cardinals on the field.
Does the addition of JJ Watt push the Cardinals into the tier of Super Bowl contender?
The Good
J.J. Watt is being added to a top-ranked, pass-rushing defense.
They finished the season with 48 sacks which tied for fourth in the league with the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If there is anything we learned from this past Super Bowl, it’s that if you have a top-tier pass rush, you can beat anyone.
That includes the reigning NFC West Champion Seattle Seahawks.
Russel Wilson: “I’m tired of getting hit”
Arizona Cardinals: *signs JJ Watt*
Russell: pic.twitter.com/RYHYzBYWD8
— Avery (@averysbradley) March 1, 2021
The Cardinals have finally filled the gap left by Calais Campbell when he departed in 2017.
They have been able to utilize players like Chandler Jones and Haason Reddick to bolster the pass rush.
Now with Watt coming off the right side, it opens the door for more exotic blitzes from the LBs.
Granted, the Cardinals might lose Reddick in free agency this offseason, but with the 16th pick in the draft, he can be replaced.
I am not terribly concerned about the defensive side of the ball where they ranked 13th in the league, but the offense left me with questions.
The Bad
They ended the season ranked 6th in total offense, but they were also 6th in turnovers with 26 on the season.
Kyler Murray was dinged up after the second matchup with the Seahawks and I think it was a bigger issue than what was presented to us.
If Kyler can stay healthy this next season and we get what we saw out of the 6-3 Cardinals, I would be less concerned.
The offensive line play and lack of a consistent running game in Arizona is why I have an issue.
In one game we see Chase Edmonds blow up but then struggles and is replaced with Kenyan Drake.
Rinse and repeat, back and forth.
The Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins connection did not have time to mature over the shortened offseason.
Christian Kirk was extremely disappointing as the WR3 and an aging Larry Fitzgerald is not helping.
Easily the biggest weak spot is at TE.
Dan Arnold and Maxx Williams are not the answer, but maybe at pick number 16, we have our answer.
The Arizona Cardinals missing piece: pic.twitter.com/EIOtMYB7R2
— Alex Faver (@TheAlexFaver) March 1, 2021
Just saying.
The offensive line needs depth, but as long as Murray can keep avoiding pressure, it’s not an immediate need.
The Answer
It is put up or shut up time for HC Kliff Kingsbury.
The pieces are almost all there for the Cardinals.
I do not believe this is a personnel issue.
This team was buzzing at 6-3 last season but ended with a disappointing 8-8 record.
Some of it had to do with injury but most of the blame lands on Kliff’s coaching.
He had leadership issues at the college level and it is starting to show in the NFL.
I am not against young guys getting head coaching opportunities.
Time and time again though, we see them not being to answer the bell against adversity.
Sean McVay made it to a Super Bowl but had no answers for the seasoned Bill Belichick.
I am not convinced Kliff and Kyler can get through a full season without some sort of collapse.
There is a lack of leadership that I can’t seem to get over.
To me, they are not Super Bowl contenders they either fire Kliff for a veteran coach or Kyler shows me he can be the spark for his team.
If Kyler can’t do it, maybe there is someone else who can.
"What if the Arizona Cardinals end up in the Deshaun Watson conversation?" @PatMcAfeeShow has us thinking 🤔 pic.twitter.com/U9VgJkI7yL
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) March 2, 2021
NEXT: J.J. Watt Surprises Everyone, Signs With Arizona Cardinals