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How far will the Arizona Cardinals go in the 2023 NFL season?
The Cardinals ended their 2022 campaign with a record of 4-13, putting them in fourth place in the NFC West and 15th in the NFC. They hired former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to serve as the team's head coach in February. Gannon helped coordinate an Eagles defense that allowed 3,057 passing yards during the 2022 season, good enough for first in the NFL.
“This guy is an incredible coordinator. People love to play for this guy,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said after a playoff win against the Giants, via azcardinals.com senior writer Darren Urban. “Every time I hear (criticism) about Jonathan Gannon I laugh to myself. As a matter of fact, coaches from other teams ask me, ‘Does Jonathan Gannon get crap here?' I'm like, ‘Somehow, yeah.' Like, this guy is incredible.
“He's going to be a head football coach in the National Football League because of what he does. This guy is a stud. He's a stud.”
The Cardinals welcomed nine rookies into their ranks via the 2023 NFL Draft. They added talent on their offensive line with former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the No. 6 pick before adding depth in the linebacker corp with the selection of LSU linebacker BJ Ojulari in the second round. Arizona took Syracuse cornerback Garrett Williams and Stanford wide receiver Michael Wilson in the third round.
Who will be a sleeper in the Cardinals' 2023 NFL draft class? And how will they fit on an Arizona roster that last made the NFL Playoffs in 2021?
Cardinals Rookie Sleeper: Jon Gaines II
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No team can be complete without competitive options in the trenches.
Jon Gaines, a former 3-star recruit from Wauwatosa, Wisc., played in 44 games from 2018-22 for the UCLA Bruins. The 6-foot-4-inch lineman started in all 13 games at right guard for the Bruins last season and helped pave the way for UCLA to average over 200 rushing yards for the third straight season, according to the team's website. He saw time at center, guard and tackle for the Bruins, according to a March article from Steelers Depot.
“I know a lot of teams will be looking at me to be able to be a guy that plays a lot of different positions and fill a lot of shoes,” Gaines said, via Steelers Depot. “So for me, snapping the ball is something I'm really trying to work on and working my sets within that as a center. And I'm working as a left side guard too.
“I think it's really important to showcase that you can do a lot of things and wear a lot of hats.”
Jon Gaines and Johnson could provide a needed boost to an offensive line that allowed 46 sacks last season. The figure put them on par with the Seattle Seahawks and was two more than the Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. The Cardinals gained 3,966 passing yards last season, putting them just behind the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
Center Hijalte Froholdt, a potential starter for Arizona in 2023, has two seasons left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2025, according to Spotrac. Should Gaines prove his worth with the Cardinals, he will have plenty of time to improve his craft before Froholdt potentially hits free agency.
