The Arizona Cardinals have undergone some changes throughout the organization. First, the Cardinals fired Steve Wilks just one season after hiring him as their head coach. To replace him, Arizona hired a young, offensive mind in Kliff Kingsbury.
Then, Josh Rosen was also traded just one season into his career. As a result, the Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the number one overall pick. Things were beginning to look vastly different for the team in Glendale, Arizona.
The Cardinals have failed to reach the playoffs in the last three seasons. In 2019, Kingsbury is hoping to take a step in the right direction with the franchise.
To accomplish that, Kingsbury will need his whole roster to step up. For some, they'll need to rise to the occasion more than others will. It's a crucial first season under Kingsbury and the Cardinals front office around him.
Here are three players who must take the next step for the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 season.
3. Ricky Seals-Jones
The Cardinals offense has gotten a complete overhaul from where it was on this day last season. Murray will be under center, surrounded with a plethora of weapons at his disposal.
One of those shiny weapons is Ricky Seals-Jones who is currently slotted in as the starting tight end again. Over the last two seasons, Seals-Jones has gotten six starts but figures to see his role get enlarged in 2019.
The Cardinals signed Seals-Jones after he went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. Nonetheless, the young tight end showed his potential in 2017 by catching three touchdowns over a span of two weeks.
Last season, Seals-Jones was given an expanded role within the offense. Although, the offense was in shambles and he wasn't able to get as involved as he would've liked. This season though, the third-year tight end will need to be ready to take a step forward in the new-look Cardinals offense.
Under Kingsbury, Arizona figures to throw the ball with more success. As a result, things should begin to look up for guys like Seals-Jones.
2. Christian Kirk
One season can make all of the difference and that holds true for the Cardinals receiver group. Last season, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk were the only two reliable options at the wide receiver position.
Now, this season, Arizona has added a few new faces to the receiving corp. Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler were drafted by the Cardinals while they also signed Kevin White in free agency.
That leaves little breathing room for Kirk to make any mistakes in the passing game. In 2018, Kirk started in just seven games but had a respectable rookie campaign that saw him haul in 43 receptions, 590 yards, and three scores.
His numbers weren't eye-popping but the state of the Cardinals offense was abysmal last year. First, the Cardinals fired their offensive coordinator in Mike McCoy after just a few weeks into the season.
Plus, the offensive line was dreadful in protecting Sam Bradford and Rosen alike. This gave little to no time for the quarterbacks to make their reads downfield. As a result, the receivers numbers were less than impressive in 2018.
The former 2018 second-round pick of the Cardinals will need to step up if he hopes to remain an important part of the offense. If not, he could find himself in a lesser role on the depth chart with the other young guys taking his spot.
1. Haason Reddick
After being rumored around in trade talks for the past year, it seems like the Cardinals are moving forward with Haason Reddick as a starter on their defense. Currently, Reddick appears to start at outside linebacker next to Jordan Hicks and Brooks Reed.
So far, through two seasons in the NFL, Reddick has been unable to find his role on the team. Arizona drafted Reddick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft in hopes he'd be a perfect fit for their defense.
Things haven't gone according to plan but things could be different under new defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph. Joseph comes from being the Denver Broncos head coach for two seasons.
Under Joseph, the Cardinals will switch back to a 3-4 defensive scheme—where they thrived from 2014-2017. Last season, the defense struggled to undergo the change to a 4-3 scheme under Wilks.
Regardless, Reddick will be put into a position to flourish but he will need to make the proper adjustments himself if he hopes to mold into the NFL player he has the potential to be.
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