There are few teams with more question marks heading into the 2018 season than the Arizona Cardinals. They finished an injury-plagued 2017 campaign with an 8-8 record, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The offense was hit hard by injuries, starting with David Johnson playing just 46 snaps before a wrist injury ended his season. Things went from bad to worse as Carson Palmer would miss the final nine games with a broken arm.
Palmer has since announced his retirement, as has head coach Bruce Arians after a five-year stint that saw Arizona make the playoffs twice and reach the conference finals in 2015. New head coach Steve Wilks will be tasked with revamping an offense that finished 30th in rushing offense last season and 15th in passing.
The Cardinals will get Johnson back for 2018, but do not know for certain if Larry Fitzgerald will return for his 15th NFL season. As things stand right now the Cardinals, do not have a single quarterback under contract for 2018 and may be without their top wide receiver.
Three additions we want to see for fantasy
Kirk Cousins, QB: Now that Washington has made the trade for Alex Smith, the door is open for Arizona to bring in Cousins. If there’s a hope of keeping Larry Fitzgerald in the fold, it’s a smart move to bring in a proven quarterback option.
Allen Robinson, WR: This could be a “pie in the sky” option as Jacksonville is likely to franchise Robinson rather than let him walk via free agency. If he does walk, then the Cardinals need to lock him down as the heir apparent to Fitzgerald as Robinson is only 24 years old. It was just two years ago that Robinson put up 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
Move up in the first round of the draft to select the QB of the future: Arizona needs to land one of the top four QBs in the draft to groom behind whatever veteran option they sign as a stopgap.