Football Outsiders: Cardinals’ biggest remaining hole is TE
May 6, 2016, 10:28 AM
Arizona Cardinals' Darren Fells reacts during the second half the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
(AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
A look up and down the Arizona Cardinals’ roster would reveal a pretty loaded team.
There are Pro Bowl performers at nearly every position on both offense and defense, along with a good amount of depth, too.
However, that does not mean the roster still cannot be improved.
Over at ESPN.com, the Football Outsiders folks put together a list of the biggest remaining hole for each of the NFL’s 32 teams, and their choice for the Cardinals may come as a bit of a surprise.
Tight end
It was not a strong draft or free-agency period for tight ends. Regardless, coach Bruce Arians loves his wide receivers, and thankfully Arizona has one of the best trios with Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd. However, if this offense were missing another dimension, it would be a prolific pass-catching tight end. Troy Niklas, a second-round pick in 2014, has simply not worked out, leaving the team to roll again with Jermaine Gresham and Darren Fells. The two combined for only 39 catches in 2015, but Fells did rank third in DVOA compared to 38th for the slower Gresham.
It’s an interesting position to choose because, as we’ve all seen, Arians’ offense does not normally feature the tight end. Even if it did, while the Cardinals don’t have a star at the position, their group that includes a now-healthy Gresham, Fells, Niklas and Ifeanyi Momah, who is recovering from a torn ACL, offers an intriguing mix of size and speed.
However, the point seems to be that an impact tight end would make Arizona’s excellent offense even better, and of that there is little doubt.
