Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing quickly turned his group into one of the most physical running units in the NFL during his first season in Arizona.
Veteran back James Conner finished No. 6 in the league with 1,040 rushing yards in 2023. Electric with the ball in his hands, quarterback Kyler Murray ran for 244 yards in just eight games after rehabbing from ACL knee surgery. In Murray’s early-season absence, fill-in QB Joshua Dobbs ran for 258 yards before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
As a team, the Cardinals averaged 139 rushing yards a contest during the regular season, No. 4 in the NFL.
“That was the floor,” Connor told reporters when asked about last year’s performance. “I want that to be the lowest I rush for in my career going forward. I’ve got a lot of work to put in, but that’s the floor, not the ceiling.”
In the passing game, Petzing oversaw the development of Trey McBride into one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league. McBride finished with 81 receptions for 825 yards and three scores last season.
Despite all of that, the Cardinals averaged just 19.4 points per game in 2023, tied for No. 25 in the NFL. Arizona finished No. 14 in the league on third-down conversions (39%) and averaged just 185 passing yards per contest, No. 26 in the league.
Arizona’s 38 passing plays of 20-plus yards last season ranked fifth-worst in the NFL.
The evolution of Petzing’s offense in Year 2 includes building on the team’s physical running game and creating more explosive plays in the passing game. To help accomplish that, the Cardinals added do-everything receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and running back Trey Benson in this year’s draft.
Those two players, along with a healthy Murray having a full offseason to learn the nuances of the offense, should lead to more consistency in 2024.
Bears, Eagles, Cardinals are winners of the 2024 NFL Draft
Arizona…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/cardinals-expect-explosive-offense-healthy-kyler-murray-rookie-weapons
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Publish date : 2024-05-29 19:18:11
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