T O P

  • By -

KeredJo

Look what the lions did in three seasons. I see a similar trajectory assuming a good offseason of FA and draft picks


Mean_Foundation_5561

I think Kyler with a full offseason and training camp in this offense is going to look really good. Especially if MHJ is drafted.


LoganTheTrapGod

In my heart of hearts I think it’s gonna he a 7 or 8 win season.


Mario2346

Defense is still bad unless we get some top name FA’s , the offense has potential and I think we will put up a good amount of points with WR help coming . The division is fucking hard even tho I expect the Seahawks to struggle with a new coach , the Niners and Rams aren’t going anywhere unless some bad injury luck . If the running game keeps on being this elite I think the ceiling is 10-7 if it takes a step back I see us being 7-10 or 8-9 . We started off with Dobbs who was awful and went 1-8 with some close games in there Kyler came in and went 3-5 (4-4 if Prater makes that kick) on the hardest schedule in the league . If we had gotten a little more lucky we could of had 7 wins this year . If we go 5-12 next year then it’s a problem , the team would have to take a major step back if we go on and are that bad . I expect 8-10 wins next year 7 being the lowest I’d go if we shit the bed but otherwise we should be a middle of the pack team .


AbuYates

No


OneBee2443

As long as Kyler is our QB, the playoffs are possible.


Expensive-Stress-596

As a fan of football from AZ Arizona is set depending on how this offseason goes. Get a line around Kyler first I’m talking about Elite and you could expect something like the Lions (3 years in and already at the conference championship?!!) imo cardinals are a completely different team with Kyler and from the games I watched if he had more talent and the team re-signing the right guys it’s only up^^


aerfgadf

If there are 2 things i've learned over the years watching the NFL it is A) The salary cap is fake and B) Pre-season predictions for teams is almost impossible (let alone predictions for next year before the current season is even over yet), which is why it is so fun imo. At the start of this season a lot of people were certain that the Rams, Texans, Cardinals, Bucs and potentially the Packers were going to be fighting it out for top 5 picks. Well one of those came true and the others finished in the playoffs, so indeed anything can happen. The Cardinals are not going to win the division next year, and to get in with a wild card you need 10-11 wins which I think is a pipedream at this point. 6-7 wins is a safe bet, i'll be curious to see what win total line is when it comes out but they are 2 years away at least. The other piece that I don't totally understand but seems important/relevant is that Kyler's cap hit balloons up next year so i'm sure they've factored that in, but I wonder what kind of impact that will have on what they are able to do in free agency.


gideonsix

Crazier things have happened. It took the Lions 2 years to turn around. It took the Texans 1 year. Statistically though, odds are low. I expect us to be scrappy enough to have a decent shot though. We are only one excellent off-season away from being relevant. The problem is we are used to mediocre or bad offseasons


Radalict

Texans were bad for like 3 years.


gideonsix

The point is they were bad last year, not how many years they were bad. 3-13-1 to playoffs winning the next season is a huge jump.


Radalict

But the point is they have been building for a few years, getting pieces and draft capital along the way. It did not just happen in one off-season.


TransportationAway59

No


Beetle-Persona

I don't know about playoffs (NFC is weak though) but we definitely have a chance of a winning record next season. If we get MHJ we'll have a offence which can do so serious damage and with Wilson/Dortch/Moore and now McBride, that's strong young core. However defence is the sticking point. as always depth is our issue, we'll need more bodies in the trenches and playmakers at CB. FA could help but we need hits in the draft to get this rebuild in full swing.


donamese

I don’t think we are as far off as one might think. Oline wasn’t bad this year. A guard and a tackle for Humphries and we are solid there. If we get MHJ that will be a big help on offense. Defense is where we need help, DL and CB specifically. Each of those helps the other, a DL causing havoc up front relieves what is needed in the secondary. A solid secondary gives the front more time to put pressure on. Problem we had this year was we had neither. A couple pieces will go a long way. With FA if we can fill a couple holes, preferably on defense for some veteran help. With those and a solid draft and we can be competitive. We did well last year with minimal talent. The rookies from last year will hopefully improve on last year and we will have Kyler from the start. Add a little more talent and pray we stay healthy then we should have a pretty strong season.


aparks22

we looked very good for what we were last year imo, i think gannon is good, if we can add some solid pieces we could win 7,8 or even 9 games next year, you never know what can happen


Plane_Arachnid9178

We’ll have a better chance than we did this year. But I think we won't be ready to win a playoff game until 2025z


DanTheMeek

Wil the team be a play off team next year? Too early to say. But this past year Monti made choices specifically to boost 2024's chances at the expense of 2023's chance, such as cutting Hopkins in such a way that all of his cap hit would be charged against the 2023 rather then split between it and 2024. That at least suggest an intention to win this coming year, as opposed Monti all but formally announcing the intention to tank 2023 last offseason. We're certainly in position to pull off what the Texans did, but the Texans had a lot of things go right for them, including hitting on two first round picks, which is a lot easier when those picks are 2 and 3 then when they're 4 and 27. The success rate of top 4 picks is still pretty decent, but by pick 27th, historically players taken there are far FAR more likely to be out right busts then they are to even be serviceable starters, let alone stars like Will Anderson and Stroud. So CAN we suddenly be great next year? Its absolutely a possibility. Should you expect it to happen? I think that would be foolish. I certainly have far FAR more hope of it happening this coming year then I did these past 2 years though.


Regular-Suit3018

I’m not sitting through another tank mission.


jihbob

our fucking division makes this such a hard question. I wish we could trade our entire draft just to switch to the NFC south or something lmao


[deleted]

7-9 or 9-8 next year is my guesstimate. I firmly believe we will make a lot of rookie mistakes cause the team is young. Following year I expect to contend. With the right draft we can go far but we still have to compete in the hardest division in the league


maceman10006

We have an amazing amount of cap space, 2 first round picks, and Kyler is healthy again and showed a lot of improvement when he did come back. I’d like to see us back at .500 next year, I think that’s very achievable.


DarthStephan4

I expect the Cardinals to win twice as many games next year as this year assuming Kyler stays healthy. The roster should have a lot more talent on it and the team was 3-5 with Kyler as the starter. Now you have to look at the schedule. We play the NFC North and AFC East. The NFC North will be a tough division. I think the Packers will be a top 2 NFC team next year, the Lions will still be good, and the bears have a lot of talent. Not sure what the Vikings plans are but I’m assuming they’ll start rebuilding since Kirk is coming off an ACL. I think we’ll be 2-2 here Then you have the AFC EAST. The patriots will still be in rebuild mode and likely be a sub par team. I think while the Jets, Dolphins and Bills will all be flawed, they will be tough outs. All of those teams have alot of talent and decent coaching. I’ll be optimistic and say 3-1 Then you have the division. Seattle I think will finally fall off a little but the Rams and 9ers are here to stay. It will be tough. Seattle will still probably beat us once and Gannon has not won against a division opponent. So I’m going with 2-4 here. So that’s 7-7. I’m not sure who the other 3 games are against but those will probably be crucial to win in order to make the playoffs. Win 10 and your in. You can make it with 9 but you’ll have to rely on tie breakers. I think the cardinals will win 7-10 games. I think anything below 7 is a failure for the team


Radalict

> So that’s 7-7. I’m not sure who the other 3 games are against but those will probably be crucial to win in order to make the playoffs. Win 10 and your in. You can make it with 9 but you’ll have to rely on tie breakers. The other 3 games will be against bottom dweller teams like we were, Panthers, Chargers and Commanders, we should win 2 of those for sure.


DarthStephan4

I think the Chargers will be much better with Harbaugh but yeah Carolina will be awful. Washington does have the most recourses in terms of CAP and draft capital in the league this offseason but I agree with you. We SHOULD be able to win 2 of those games and finish 9-8


Dry_Damage_6629

When Kyler is on, very few things can stop him. Let’s hope he is on in playoffs (I think we will be in playoffs)


Rall0c

Tough division, but easy conference. Our QB1 is back and healthy with a full year and our team played pretty hard/close/well given the circumstances. Look at the Texans rebuild, and others. Rebuilds are not 3+ years anymore. We would have to consider moving on from Kyler if we miss the playoffs. He's being paid the big bucks. No reason we shouldn't get at least a wild card next year.


Dfost115

Playoffs!? You wanna talk about PLAYOFFS!? Especially in such a tough division, I think it’s a little too early on in the rebuilding process to be expecting a playoff run just yet. I think we all can agree that the team outperformed this year, we’re on the right track, and I’ll just be watching for continued improvement. Things are on the up, boys!


ghost_mv

not saying a deep playoff run or anything. i said **make** the playoffs at all.


Dfost115

I know bruv. Ur good


Rowengardnerr

Optimism is a choice/mindset.


Greekphysed

Kinda feel like the Cards might be the Texans of next year. Play hard and shock a few teams and make the playoffs. But at most maybe like the Packers season going as a number 7 and beat a favorite.


Nokrai

The packers will be that favorite.


I_shall_not_pass

Kyler will be the starter week 1, so it’s nice to have the franchise QB from the start. We have a lot of cap space to make some moves (I doubt we will make splashy moves like Keim would because he was desperate to keep his job, but I wouldn’t be surprised to sign players to round out the roster a bit), I believe we have the most draft picks with 11 and Monti’s first draft went well, Gannon had the team playing with fire even after being eliminated and looks to be a very good HC at the least (has the potential to be great I think),and the NFC is so weak we had a chance at the playoffs with a 3-11 record. I’d say there’s reason to be optimistic and we can fight for a WC spot


freedom-to-be-me

I’m optimistic every year and honestly, as long as the games are competitive and entertaining like they were this year, I’m good. Would it be nice for the Cards to make the playoffs or win a Superbowl? Absolutely. But football is really just an escape for me for a few hours per week.


ImKylerMurray

Holy shit we are a beat down fanbase


oraclestats

I don't think playoffs are a possibility. We don't play in the NFC South. The hard truth is that the way we rebuild now is through the draft and that will take time. Free agency is tough because the Cardinals must overpay for free agents and our QB eats 20% of our cap. I like Kyler, but I don't think you can quickly turn the ship when his contract is so heavy. It's manageable of course but I can't think of many quick turnarounds when a QB has $50MM on the books.


highbackpacker

I’m optimistic now. Anything can happen. I think we’re in a great place.


BigusDickus099

One year turnarounds are possible, look at the Texans of course. However, I feel we have a *ton* of holes on this team and it might take another year for them to be truly competitive. I'm looking forward to our draft and free agency first to see what type of team Monti is able to assemble around the few guys worth keeping. Who knows...maybe Monti puts on a masterclass of a draft and signs enough key free agents for the Cardinals to be in the Wild Card mix next season. The NFC feels pretty wide open besides a couple top teams.


gr8scottaz

The Texans turnaround is tied directly to Stroud. Take away Stroud and that team is a 4-5 win team. Not saying that Kyler can't do that but Stroud took a mediocre team to another level.


BigusDickus099

I mean...take away the starting QB for a lot of teams and they suck, lol. Hell, the Chiefs are probably a 4-5 win team without Mahomes. We saw it this year with the Vikings, Bengals, and others.


afig24

Always a hard call when we have one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. But I do see potential for a wildcard spot if everyone stays healthy and we can find a way to beat Mcvay for once.


imaybeacatIRl

I expect we will win somewhere between 7-9 games with noticable improvements, if we have another good draft. Id want linear progress so I'd hope for 9-12 wins the year following, after a third straight good draft. Obviously, we can go faster or slower. Besides pass rush, I can't imagine trying for any big signings this off season. Our pass rush is poor and it exposes our bad secondary. Definitely not worried about playoffs next year. If we make em? Great. If we don't? Great. It's all about progress.


Expensive-Stress-596

I’m never good at how records will finally play out but cards will be a lot more competitive (I’m hoping they kill the draft again so they can continue building this roster)


loldrums

The team with Kyler was on pace for 7 wins in 2023.  Every team can play what if, so let's: they were 3 kicks away from 2 wins (HOU, SEA) just off the top of my head, and if they had brought in a QB earlier in the off-season instead of waiting for Colt, they had a real shot at sweeping the NFC East for another 2.  In spite of the low expectations and everything against them, 8 wins were well within reach this last season.  With the draft capital and cap room Monti will be cooking with, anything less than a winning record in 2024 cannot be looked at as progression, imo.


imaybeacatIRl

"we almost won 3 more games!" Yea, yea. we didn't though. Cardinals have roster holes all over the place. It would be very real progress. Anyone expecting more than 9 wins is being completely unreasonable in regards to our development and roster.


Enough-Relation2536

Not necessarily we have a much weaker schedule outside the division. We don’t know what Seattle will do but from what I’ve read it looks like they are doing a roster scrub. San Fran are in the red when coming in terms of cap space so expect at least 1 big name to be leaving there. We bring in a pass rush and elite WR and Kyler is healthy 10 wins doesn’t seem impossible


zerosolo14

The point is that they could/should have won those games with the team they have now. So after free agency and the draft (and Kyler having a full offseason to prepare) they should be able to compete for a playoff position.


imaybeacatIRl

And we should have lost to the cowboys and eagles. Let's not deal with "should" and deal with "did"


birddgangg

You're a moron


imaybeacatIRl

For not living in hypotheticals and pointing out the silliness of them? I'll take that as a compliment.


birddgangg

No because we were on pace to win 7 games this year with this shit roster. But with 90 million in cap,11draft picks, a weaker schedule, young players being more experienced we can win 2 more games? Makes perfect sense.


imaybeacatIRl

We won 4 fucking games. Stop acting like those 3 extra wins were a given. We won 4 games. Just stop with this mentality. Teams next year will be trying to improve, as well, not just us.


birddgangg

As i said moron, "we're improving on every facet but still going to win exactly the same as last year with a weaker schedule." Come back next year to see how stupid your comment was.


Rydychyn

From what we've seen this season after Kyler returned, I think we have a good shot at playoffs. I don't think we'll be good enough to have a chance of winning it all... But anything can happen!


Expensive-Stress-596

An elite line around Kyler that can keep a mobile but power pocket (Ravens game I saw during a blitz their line was taking as many steps back as Lamar to buy him time for his reads) imagine that with Kyler they aren’t the same runners but Kyler is like an RC car out there once he’s going he’s gone


destroyer96FBI

Look at the Dbacks, possible depending on if you hit with young talent. Draft and free agency will be huge.


ajteitel

Somehow, Kyler returned