Two seasons of 4-13 records and fourth-place finishes in the NFC West have the Arizona Cardinals ready to move on. Team general manager Monti Ossenfort and second-year head coach Jonathan Gannon now hope they have put together another successful offseason to better themselves.
In hopes of changing the tide, the Cardinals walked away with 12 draft picks, the most of any team in the draft. They absolutely loaded up, with four picks just in the third round. Over the last two years, that makes 21 total picks, meaning that even though the team hopes to be improved, it's going to be young. There should be some healthy competition in the Cardinals training camp.
Of course, in their attempts to get better, it will help that starting quarterback Kyler Murray is fully healthy for the 2024 season. Tearing the ACL in his right knee back in December of the 2022 season, Murray missed a total of 15 games and played just eight last season. He finished with 1,799 passing yards, another 244 rushing, with 13 total touchdowns and five interceptions.
Murray got better by the week, though. He went from a 62.13 completion percentage in his first five games to 71.72 in his last three. His passer rating also went from 78.4 to 108.3, while his touchdowns went from four to six and interceptions four to one, according to Pro Football Reference.
Like with any NFL team, Murray is the centerpiece of the Cardinals team given that he's the franchise quarterback. At least that's what his five-year, $230.5 million contract he signed back in 2022 says. But the Cardinals have suffered a lot in Murray's absence.
Murray will once again be counted on by the Cardinals to lead the team through a division that has been won by every team but them since 2016. However, not since his second year in the league back in 2020 has Murray played a full schedule, missing 17 games in all. The Cardinals signal-caller has just fallen in line with a long list of other starting quarterbacks who have gone down with major injuries over the last couple of seasons.
Injuries to starting quarterbacks have seen a major uptick. And what's concerning for the Cardinals is that they didn't do much to address the backup quarterback situation should Murray miss any sort of time again. Behind Murray is former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has just 17 starts over the last two seasons with an 8-9 record. The Cardinals traded for him while sending Rondale Moore off to Atlanta. Luckily, there's still one veteran quarterback on the free agent market that does have valuable experience.
The Cardinals should sign Ryan Tannehill to backup Kyler Murray
At 35 years old, it's clear that Tannehill is in the twilight of his career. But he is still deserving of a backup role for a team like the Cardinals, who have already had issues with injuries to their starting quarterback.
If Tannehill were signed by Arizona, he would be entering the 12th year of his career. The former Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans quarterback has started 151 games, with a record of 81-70. He's a former AP award-winning Comeback Player of the Year back in 2019 when he helped the Titans reach the AFC Championship. That was a career year for him, where he earned his first Pro Bowl honors. But like any aging quarterback, regression has hit him the last couple of seasons.
Last season in particular, Tannehill suffered through multiple injuries, including a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss multiple weeks and eventually the starting job to rookie Will Levis. However, he was asked to finish out the season when Levis suffered injuries of his own. Tannehill finished the season going 3-5, throwing for 1,616 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
It didn't do Tannehill — or anybody else on the Titans — any favors as to how bad and outdated the offense truly was last season. Tennessee was 28th in total offense, 29th in passing, 17th in rushing, with the 27th ranked scoring offense. Minus Derrick Henry, the Titans were void of talented skill position players, not to mention an abysmal offensive line. So while it seems that most teams have been less than optimistic about acquiring his services, the Cardinals should perhaps give him another look.
Even though he probably wouldn't have the wheels he used to, Tannehill could still present some of his dual-threat abilities he's showcased throughout his career if signed. He's rushed for over 2,000 yards with 27 touchdowns in his career. With Murray likewise being a dual-threat quarterback, the offense could quickly adjust should he suffer another injury.
Though Ridder is the much younger choice, entering just the third year of his career, he's done little to show he can lead an NFL offense when given the task. He was plagued by turnovers last season (19), with a good chunk coming in the red zone. No backup quarterback is going to be perfect, but Tannehill would be a better option over Ridder for the Cardinals, simply from experience alone.
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