Cardinals have to address No. 2 receiver spot if they hope to be contenders

The Arizona Cardinals have only had a handful of practices and have only played one preseason game. That doesn’t mean it’s too early to dissect the roster to try and figure out exactly what they need to be a true playoff contender (alright, maybe it’s a little early but this kind of talk is what we love about sports).

Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug Franz thinks there is one position that will hold the Cardinals back more than any other this season.

“All you have to do is win this bad division,” Franz said Friday on Doug and Wolf. ” If you win this bad division you get a home playoff game. But I think you get slaughtered in that playoff game unless you fix the No. 2 receiver spot.”

The bottom line is without acquiring a No. 2 receiver, or without one on their roster emerging, the Cardinals won’t be good enough to compete in the crowded NFC.

“This is a team that should go to the playoffs,” Franz told listeners. “Once you’re in you never know what would happen. With what we saw yesterday we know that is not a Super Bowl team for the Arizona Cardinals. That is not an NFC Championship Game team for the Arizona Cardinals. They are not the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re not the Falcons. They’re not the Saints. So with those statements now they need help.”

While it’s easy to sit here and say the Cardinals should acquire another receiver the reality is, thanks to the Kevin Kolb deal, the team can’t afford to give up draft picks to acquire one via trade. Not to mention the free agents who have been available have either decided they didn’t want to play here, got paid more than the Cards were willing to offer or just didn’t fit the offensive system.

If the team does in fact want to add another receiver, they’ll probably have to do it via free agency. Just who is available will all hinge on which guys teams decide to cut as they try to pare down their rosters.

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