Arizona Cardinals looking for spark from Golden, Gresham

TEMPE, Ariz. — Let’s just get the obvious out of the way here early. Not much has gone right for the Arizona Cardinals so far this season. And with Khalil Mack and the revamped Chicago Bears coming to town Sunday, there isn’t exactly an easy path to rapid improvement on the horizon.

Mack, in particular, figures to be an issue. There were at least signs of improvement from Arizona’s defense in last Sunday’s debacle against the Rams, but the offense was completely absent. Facing the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year doesn’t figure to help.

So the Cardinals are simplifying things on offense a little. They’re trying to keep a positive attitude in the face of what feels like overwhelming adversity right now. And, maybe more than anything, they’re looking for some sort of jolt.

That jolt might come in the form of a couple familiar faces.

Jermaine Gresham and Markus Golden both practiced in full on Wednesday. While nobody expects either of them to step in and instantly swing a game, getting one – or maybe even both – back this week would be an emotional boost for a group that sorely needs it right now.

“That is a major plus,” Steve Wilks explained. “Major plus. When you’re talking about a team that’s 0-2, that needs a spark, needs some energy. Those two guys definitely bring that, particularly Jermaine. Very vocal, high strung guy, loves to compete, going to get his teammates going. And Markus is the same way, so I can’t wait to get those guys back out there. Hopefully this week.”

Quality reinforcements are tough to find a few weeks into the season. Barring some crazy blockbuster trade, clubs are basically forced to rummage through each other’s leftovers for a piece here or there that might help a little. But no player that’s going to dramatically swing a team’s fortune is just hanging out, looking for a new home. So any realistic improvements are going to have to come from within.

Golden’s potential impact is obvious. Two years ago, he delivered a breakout campaign with 12.5 sacks. That was good for third in the entire NFL — behind only Von Miller and Vic Beasley Jr — and he seemed poised to be a permanent fixture in opposing backfields. But his 2017 season was cut very short when he suffered a knee injury in Week 4, and he hasn’t played in a game since.

Simply having Golden line up would command attention from the other team’s offense. If he can make some plays right away, great. If not, the attention he garners should still free up Chandler Jones to be more disruptive. And Arizona’s best chance to start turning things around and win games right now probably starts with the defense. Particularly against Mitchell Trubisky and Chicago.

Put another way, if the Cardinals plan on winning Sunday, they have a better chance of forcing the relatively inexperienced Trubisky into some mistakes than they do of going through Mack.

So yeah, getting Golden back could be huge. And Gresham could fire up a team that looked lost by the time they left LA.

“Jermaine is just one of those guys that you want to be on the grass with,” D.J. Humphries pointed out. “The energy that he puts off, it’s infectious and bleeds throughout the offense. Throughout the team, so I’m really looking forward to him getting out there on the grass.”

It’s not that Gresham is going to suddenly ignite a passing attack that currently ranks last in the world. He’s gone over 60 yards receiving in a game twice in his three years with Arizona. But he could provide Sam Bradford with an experienced target at least. And just having him actively involved could help breathe some life back into a team that desperately needs a few positives to build from.

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