It’s a great time to be an NFL fan as your sport is coming back. All 32 teams return and report to training camps to start practicing and getting ready for the 2016 season. Over the last few weeks, several of the writers from Inscriber Digital Magazine have done previews on all the teams. This one I chose to look at the team from the desert.
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a 2015 record of 13-3 and had a deep run in the playoffs and fell short of making it to the Super Bowl as they lost to the Carolina Panthers. Much of the team will be back, with a few new additions. They begin training camp this Friday, July 29th, and I will be looking at five players that you should be on the look out for during training camp:
Tyrann Mathieu
He had a monster 2015 campaign that he was getting stats of 89 tackles, five interceptions, and one forced fumble. It was going great for him until he got injured in Week 15 against the Eagles when he tore his ACL. He is seen as one of the most versatile players and is a key contributor in one of the best defenses in the NFL. It seems that at the age of 24, he is finally getting his life back in order. He had a rather rough run during his college days at LSU from various run-ins with law enforcement. Last season, the Cardinals were in the top ten of many defensive categories.
Arizona Cardinals Running Backs ( David Johnson, Chris Johnson, and Andre Ellington)
Very rarely on this lists do you see a group of players as a “player to watch.” The last time there was a trio of running backs that have this much talent, one of the most recent ones look back to when the Giants had Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs, and Ahmad Bradshaw. The Cardinals were 8th in rushing last season due to David, Chris, and Andre and they were able to be in the top ten because they averaged 100 yards per game. It should be noted that David Johnson ended up taking a brunt of the rushing attempts last season, and it should be noted that David Johnson is being penciled in to be the starter. Head coach Bruce Arenas said that due to the amount of talent they have in the backfield, they would use a two man formation this season.
Chandler Jones
One of the trades that the Cardinals made in the off season was to strengthen their defense. They went out and traded for Chandler Jones from the New England Patriots. He adds a lot of power to their defense, last season he had four forced fumbles and is 5th in sacks in the NFL. The Cardinals were 20th in sacks last season. Many of the NFL experts have gone record to saying that Chandler Jones is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL right now.
Deone Buchanan
Unless you are a Cardinals fan, then you may not recognize this name. If he continues to do wonders, then many of- Cardinals fans will know of his name. He was the team’s 1st round pick in 2014. He is a key contributor to the defense as he became a huge part of it. You can not take this guy lightly and be prepared to hear of him for some time.
Carson Palmer
The ageless QB is making a comeback. After having a shortened season in 2014 due to a major injury and many thought he would be done. He came back last season and surprised everyone. He had a career year in 35 passing touchdowns, 4,671 passing yards, and had a QBR of over 82. He is getting towards the end of his career as he is getting older and with being injury prone, you don’t know how much left he would have in the tank. But if I am a Cardinals fan, I would enjoy what you can get from Palmer now.