Looking at the games missed by Cardinals playmakers this season
Dec 17, 2022, 5:01 PM | Updated: 5:03 pm
James Conner #6 of the Arizona Cardinals and Marquise Brown #2 of the Arizona Cardinals after Brown's touchdown during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals set out to construct one of the NFL’s most lethal skill position arsenals last offseason.
With wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore under contract, Arizona dedicated resources to re-sign tight end Zach Ertz and running back James Conner, trade a first-rounder for receiver Marquise Brown and use a second-rounder on tight end Trey McBride.
After 13 games, that unit has not played a single game all together and it will not this season, as Ertz (knee) is done for the year and Moore is on injured reserve (groin).
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Added to that, quarterback Kyler Murray is also done for 2022 after suffering a torn ACL in Week 14. He played 11 games this season, a career low four years in.
The offense as a whole has been battered by injuries, as 12 of 15 Cardinals on IR are offensive players.
The unit has struggled to produce consistently with so many moving parts, as it is No. 17 in the NFL in scoring and No. 28 in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA), according to Football Outsiders.
With such an emphasis on building out Murray’s options last offseason, let’s dive into the games missed by Arizona’s playmakers in 2022 with four games remaining:
Running back
– James Conner missed three games during Weeks 6-8. He had a ribs injury but did not land on IR.
– Darrel Williams, whom the Cardinals signed during the offseason for depth, has been held to six games and is on reserve due to a hip issue.
– Jonathan Ward played five games before landing on IR with a hamstring issue and eventually getting cut.
Wide receiver
– Hopkins missed the first six games due to a PED suspension.
– Brown suffered a foot injury in Week 6 and landed on IR. He missed five games and returned in Week 12.
– Moore has missed five games with multiple injuries and will be out at least three more.
– Greg Dortch missed one game with a thumb issue in Week 12.
– A.J. Green missed one game with a knee injury in Week 4.
– Antoine Wesley has missed the entire season with a reported torn quadriceps.
Tight end
– Ertz has missed three games and will finish the season having missed seven.
Tight end Stephen Anderson is the only playmaker who has played in all 13 games for the Cardinals.
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