The Arizona Cardinals seemed like a surefire playoff team in the NFC and at times looked like the best team in the NFC West. They jumped out to a 5-2 record and ended up finishing with an 8-8 record as they hit some road bumps down the latter half of the season.

Kyler Murray was a bit of a mixed bag in his sophomore season, but he still finished with 3,971 yards and 26 touchdowns with six picks on the year, and he battled a few injuries over the final month.

Murray also had the second-most yards rushing on the team with 819, and only 150 yards by running back Kenyan Drake, and it's safe to say they will try their best to address that position in the offseason.

As they head into the offseason the Cardinals will have around $13.5 million in cap space, and nothing is set in stone until the league sets the official number regarding the 2021 salary cap.

The Cardinals looked like one of the best teams in all of football before unraveling and tripping to a .500 record, and they will have to spend the next few months making improvements in an effort to make the playoffs in 2021 as they sit in one of the toughest divisions in all of football.

Kliff Kingsbury is determined to take this team to the next level and they will have a lot of questions that need to be answered this offseason, even more so after the disappointing finish.

They have a decent amount of cap space, but the more the better, and this player might be in jeopardy of being cut as the Cardinals look to take it to the next level.

CB Robert Alford

Alford has the 7th-highest cap hit for 2021, and most of the ones in front of him aren't going anywhere. Alford has a hit of $9 million next year, and the Cardinals have unfortunately watched Alford get injured for the past two seasons after signing him a couple of years back to a three-year deal.

He came over from the Atlanta Falcons, and since joining the Cardinals has yet to suit up for a game after a pair of season-ending injuries. When he's healthy he's good, but the fact is he hasn't been healthy since 2018, and even then he fought off an injury for most of his final year with the Falcons.

Alford made a huge name for himself with a pick-six against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in the infamous 28-3 comeback by Tom Brady, and he proved that he was worthy of a decent sized contract.

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However, Alford could never stay healthy for the Cardinals and he most likely won't be in Arizona in September. Veteran Patrick Peterson is most likely headed out of Arizona as well, and the Cardinals will look to revamp their secondary with some young pieces to add to Budda Baker, who is one of the best safeties in all of football.

The defense was an issue for this team all season, and the secondary struggled to create turnovers. They finished 18th in the league in interceptions, but 4th in sacks, thanks in large part to Chandler Jones and Haason Reddick.

The offense is fine, DeAndre Hopkins, Murray, and Chase Edmonds, who is expected to be the lead guy unless they make an offer with a free agent running back, and that's good enough to keep your team in the game most of the time.

The Cardinals finished two games ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and missed the playoffs by mere percentage points as the Chicago Bears snuck in with an identical 8-8 record, and after the start they had, they will look to improve and upgrade their roster however they can for 2021.

The NFC West got a whole lot tougher with Matthew Stafford going to the Los Angeles Rams, and rumors swirl regarding Deshaun Watson and a possibility of him being the 49ers starter next year. 

With that being said, the defense, especially the secondary, needs some upgrades, and Alford is the one who is most likely to be cut, or at the very least, restructured.

The Cardinals don't have a ton of cap space to work with, and Alford might be one of many Cardinals players who hit the open market come March and the free agent frenzy. They need to make as much room as possible in an attempt to compete in the NFC West as they fight for a playoff spot and a championship with one of the best young quarterbacks in the game.