Darren's on vacation, which means it's my job to pick up the slack on this week's mailbag. I appreciate everyone sending in their questions. Please remember to do the same for Zach Gershman on July 8 and Craig Grialou on July 15. (The office is closed the week of July 4, so we'll take a break.)
Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
From Matthew Stroh:
"Hey Dani, hope you're having a great offseason. With Travis Hunter in this year's draft and Max Melton's brother, Bo, with the Packers trying out at corner plus the Cardinals' own Roy Green once upon a time, do you think some player at the bottom of the roster should try to learn a position on both sides to make them more desirable to keep on the low end of the 53-man roster? Like a person playing OL and DL? Or a player playing WR and CB? One last question I'm a truck driver who's been to 44 of the 50 states. Love seeing the difference. Moving from Dallas to Phoenix, what are two things you like that are different here in Arizona? And two things you miss the most from Dallas, Texas? Thank you, Dani. You're the glue that holds Cardinals Underground together and makes it great."
Thank you for the kind words about keeping the Cardinals Underground crew on track. It's not an easy job to keep Darren and Paul in line, but someone has to do it. No, I don't think a bubble player trying to make the final roster should focus on playing both offense and defense. If they're at risk of not making the team for their main position, it would be a disservice to have them learn a second position on top of that and try to keep up mentally and physically. Think of the saying, "A master of all is a master of none." Special teams is the best way for a player fighting for a spot in their position room to make the final roster.
Two things I like about Arizona: 1) the landscape. There's not a lot of outdoor activities to do in Dallas, minus a few lakes or trails surrounded by homes or buildings. I love being able to be active outdoors and I never get tired of seeing mountains from any viewpoint. 2) Proximity to other attractions. Texas is massive, so I appreciate all the different cities you can hit within a relatively close drive (Las Vegas, San Diego, Flagstaff, Sedona).
Two things I miss most from Dallas: 1) my family (dogs included). Thankfully they're all in one spot, which makes visiting them easy. 2) Tex-Mex. No offense to the Southwestern spin on the food out here, it just doesn't hit the same for me.
From Pascal:
"Hi Darren, thank you for the mailbag; always a precious source of information. Just a question about the offensive line: Pre-draft analysts and fans where pointing to the O-Line as a group needing an upgrade. An offensive lineman was taken in the 6th round, some journeymen were added but no significant upgrade was made. Did fans and analysts miss something pre-draft or is the coaching staff confident in what they have and what they see so far?"
Lucky for you, Darren's on vacation, so I'm filling in. Fans and analysts weren't off base discussing offensive line as a need, it just wasn't the greatest need. The draft isn't just about positions of need, it also factors in the best player available. Clearly, the Cardinals felt defense made sense with all the deciding factors for six of their seven draft picks. The reality is, four of the five starting linemen from last season were retained, minus RG Will Hernandez, who remains a free agent. That tells me there is confidence from the coaching staff in those returning, including Isaiah Adams, who played in 15 games and started five as a rookie. That's not to say Adams is a lock and there isn't competition for that right guard spot; a veteran could still be brought in once teams have to start cutting players during training camp. Depth is always crucial on the offensive line and it's something that's always fluid, but it'd be hard to argue that defensive starters over offensive depth was the wrong call.
From Don P:
"Hey, Dani. We have some positions with a lot of depth but others not so much. I'm wondering which positions you think need better backup players. Maybe in order of worst to first?"
It's still too early to fully commit to the depth since we haven't seen players in pads yet, and with so many new faces on this team. Some positions where there will be depth competition throughout training camp and the preseason: offensive line and outside linebacker. The offensive line isn't necessarily lacking backup players, it's just still unclear who is the frontrunner for most of those positions. Has Isaiah Adams locked in the starting right guard role? Is 14-year veteran Kelvin Beachum a lock for the swing tackle position over Christian Jones? There are still questions to be answered once the pads come on at training camp.
I view the outside linebacker position similarly to the O-line. Josh Sweat is a guaranteed starter, but who earns that spot opposite of him? With a fortified defensive line, the Cards may keep one fewer pass rusher because they'll be able to get more out of those players with the help up front. Each returning player showed flashes last season, but there's a reason they focused on pass rush through free agency and the draft. There's still plenty of competition for the remaining players against themselves and other players that may become available.
From Randall G:
"Hey Dani, thanks for doing this mailbag and thanks for being so entertaining with the guys on the podcast. I have to admit, while I like a lot of the stuff Monti has done this offseason, I'm not sure about this offensive line. Jonah Williams was hurt all season. And they didn't do anything at guard. Don't you think they should have added more? Even if it was just a veteran guard?"
Fair questions, but if Jonah Williams' health was a concern, a move would have been made. Williams was participating with the team in offseason activities, which is a good sign. Considering the money they paid this time last year to bring Williams in as a starter, he's going to have that role until someone beats him out. I am not opposed to adding a veteran guard because you can never have enough experienced bodies or competition on the offensive line given the adversity a group of five can face throughout a season. The reality is, the front office and coaches felt strongly about the offensive pieces in place and focused on bolstering the defensive side of the ball. Four of the five starters are returning from a year where they blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in James Conner and finished with a top-10 run offense. Is there competition at right guard with Isaiah Adams going into his second year? Yes. Is this offensive line a liability and in desperate need of new players? No.
From Sammy R:
"We all know what kind of pressure K1 is under this season. I guess it's the whole team but him for sure. Curious what kind of year you think Kyler would have statistically if he has a good season."
Quarterback Kyler Murray has been set up for success going into year seven with the weapons around him and the continuity on that side of the ball, as well as his play caller in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. The passing game needs to be more threatening and more consistent, which they've all attested. A successful season for Murray is more than just hitting certain benchmarks and more about command of the offense, ball security, leadership, and wins. For the sake of the question, if Murray can elevate his receivers to a new level, it's not unrealistic to believe he could throw for 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. Pair that with 600 rushing yards and half a dozen rushing touchdowns? That'd be a pretty good season.
From John M:
"With all the quarterback shuffles going on over the last few years, who has the longest tenure with the same team? Is Kyler close to the top of that list? Keep up the good work."
Murray is entering his seventh year in the league, all with the Cardinals. Based on my research, these starting QBs have been with their respective teams longer: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), 10 years. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), nine years. Lamar Jackson (Ravens), eight years. Josh Allen (Bills), eight years.
From Bob Kitsos:
"Great job on the mailbag; a fun, informative read. This may be a done deal by the time this is published, but would the Cardinals be interested in recently released wide receiver Gabe Davis (Jaguars) or Buffalo's former wide receiver Amari Cooper, who is currently a free agent?"
This is an interesting topic because I do think the door is open for a veteran receiver, but I'm not sure Gabe Davis or Amari Cooper fit what this coaching staff is looking for from their receivers. The Cardinals want receivers who can block, that's just as important as the route-running and catch ability. Davis is coming off a torn meniscus and his recovery was reportedly part of the reason the Jags decided to release him after failing his physical, in addition to now having a young, dynamic duo in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Amari Cooper is entering his tenth year in the league and has dealt with injuries the last few years. While he's a good route-runner, he doesn't have the breakaway speed I'd think this staff would want to add with a veteran. If he's healthy, Davis would make more sense to me than Cooper in this situation but bringing in a veteran of that caliber would mean he comes in as WR2 above Michael Wilson and this staff may not want to pay the price if they feel he's comparable to what Wilson provides.
From Conrad N:
"There is much talk about MHJ bulking up this offseason. I'm sure it's his choice and his process, but it leaves me curious about organization involvement during training camp and in season. How is player nutrition managed from the organization level? Is it still up to the player to manage or does the team take nutritional need input from the players? If this subject has been covered in the past I apologize in advance. Thanks."
It's a combination of all the above. The players and coaches talk at the end of the season about goals, some of which may include bulking up for various reasons. In Harrison's case, it's likely so he can be more competitive in contested catches and add some physicality to his game. The players and coaches work closely with the nutrition staff on goals and from there, the nutritionists curate individual plans to help players reach certain goals (calories, carbs, protein, etc.), which also requires communication with the training staff on the type of exercises being performed. Harrison has said he's using the offseason to get an idea which weight feels good to him to still feel strong and fast out on the field.
From Matt H:
"Hi Dani, thanks for taking over for Darren this week as he gets a much needed break from us fans! My question has been a recurring theme as of late and has to do with muscle mass. We all know about MHJ and Darius Robinson, but in your opinion, is there anyone in the building as ripped as Aaron Brewer?! He may be just a long snapper, but the dude is terrifying. Don't let the farmer's tan fool you. We're all just lucky we're not lining up against him on opposing special teams units. He's about as scary as Carson Palmer was in that Cardinals hula skirt many years ago. Ok seriously. In your opinion, who is the most ripped player on the Cardinals that no one is talking about? Thanks for taking our questions."
Ripped muscles versus strength is tough. DL Darius Robinson is my answer for straight muscles. Strength? C Hjalte Froholdt might be hard to beat (he tosses boulders for fun, for crying out loud!)
From Paul G:
"Hey Dani I hope this makes the mailbag you're handling this week. First I want to compliment you on being a rising star in your profession. You ask great questions at pressers and your understanding and assessment of the game and team dynamics is top notch. Way to create friction amongst your colleagues! To my question: I enjoyed the latest Underground and discussion about the final 53. Barring future injuries, what do you expect the offensive/defensive split of 50 to be after accounting for K/P/LS? The way I see this shaking out, it will be more lopsided defensively than ever. I see the coaches selecting the 46 they would like to dress gameday, then seeing who's left. I see those final seven being all defensive players. Simply put, our 23rd best offensive player is not getting claimed off waivers, but our 28th defender will. How do you see it?"
Thanks for all the kind words, Paul! I appreciate you tuning in to our content and sharing the compliments. JG said he wanted more friction at training camp and I'm just doing my part.
I also see the final roster being a tad more defensive heavy. Last year, they carried 25 players on each side, plus three special teamers (K/P/LS). Instead of four tight ends, I could see that number dropping to three. I could also see the wide receivers going from six to five. Those extra two roster spots could bump the defensive line and defensive back numbers from six to seven each.
