As Don Henley once said, “Sometimes the best light you get is from a burning bridge”.
The 2022 Arizona Cardinals have been a massive failure and one that needs to have its own “30 for 30” documentary done on it years from now. From the absolute worst playoff loss in franchise history to Kyler Murray’s agent (Erik Burkhardt) basically giving the organization the NFL version of a ransom note, study clause, and all the other bad things that have happened, there’s no reason for this Arizona Cardinals squad to be competitive for the rest of this year.
The Arizona Cardinals need to tank for the rest of the season. It’s that simple. Now before I get the “You’re not a real fan!” comments, let me explain my thought process. First, as long as Steve Keim is the GM, the chances of nailing the draft remain pretty low. I have the following three reasons why the Arizona Cardinals should just take the rest of the year off:
Reason #1: Steve Keim can’t mess up top-six (or higher) pick…right?
Keim has whiffed so hard in the first round that it’s not even funny. So how hard would it be to mess up a top-five or six pick in the 2023 NFL Draft? Could he draft a cornerback that’s been needed since Brandon Williams was running around the secondary?
Or would. It can’t all be that hard- as long as it’s not another linebacker. As of right now, the Cardinals have the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft according to Tankathon.com. A win against the Denver Broncos this Sunday would be a disaster, as the following could potentially happen:
I will have to check my math but with the Colts losing despite that lead today I believe that a win by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday would send them potentially from the sixth overall draft pick to the 12th
— Blake Allen Murphy (@blakemurphy7) December 17, 2022
Let’s say that the Cardinals win, much to our chagrin. Having that 12th pick hasn’t been a great point for success for Keim. That’s led to picks like Michael Floyd, Haason Reddick (who is STILL a bust), and the ever-so-loved Josh Rosen. Keim hasn’t been good at drafting at all, but I think that if the Cardinals had a high pick in the draft it would be hard to mess up.
The other thing to note about this is the fact that the Seahawks also have one of the top picks due to Denver’s abysmally dark season. So not only would a loss to the Broncos help the Cardinals but potentially pushing the Seahawks back from the top part of the draft is another bonus that could be had.
Reason #2: The Arizona Cardinals are too banged up to compete
The one thing that’s wreaked havoc on the Cardinals the past few years have been injuries. It’s almost as bad as how the 2013 season was derailed after a 9-1 start. Kyler Murray’s torn ACL has been hard to handle, Byron Murphy has missed quite a bit of time, along with a handful of other players you can choose and pick from. This would be a good time to play the younger players on the roster and get them invaluable experience and evaluation time.
This would have been great for say someone like, Eno Benjamin, but we can’t have nice things here in Arizona.
Reason #3: Kliff Kingsbury must show what he can do without Kyler Murray
Kingsbury has only had Murray as his franchise quarterback, sans the few times of Colt McCoy and Chris Streveler. If there was ever a time for Kingsbury to show his mettle, it’s with players whose name doesn’t rhyme with “Myler Kurray”. If Kingsbury is going to be the coach of this team for the remainder of his blunderous contract extension, then he needs to find a way to excel in the absence of a game-changer at the quarterback position.
It could be a potential source of solace for Cardinals fans, similar to how Bruce Arians got Drew Stanton to go 5-3 when Carson Palmer tore his ACL in 2014. That is one of the handful of earmarks of a great coach- it doesn’t matter too much about the player’s skills; if the scheme and the system around the player are exactly what they need to be, then that’s half the battle that’s won.
So let’s play Trace McSorley and the rest of 3’s on the depth chart. Get a high draft pick to help the team (just please no linebackers), and get Murray healthy. Embrace the tank.
