Arizona Cardinals End of the Season Awards

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals had some great performances, worthy of being honored in 2016

The 2016 NFL season has come to and end, and though it ended with a bang for the Arizona Cardinals, they still didn’t advance to the postseason. Having made the NFC Championship game the season before, this year was a major disappointment.

Despite the down season, there were some terrific individual performances. Some had performances worthy of consideration for league-wide awards. Some did things that carried significance for the Cardinals. Either way, they deserve to be honored for what they did in the 2016 season.

Each year, the NFL hands out awards to its best players in several categories. RaisingZona would like to honor some of the Cardinals players in a similar way, though on a much smaller scale, by similarly handing out some end of the year awards.

The following players made huge impacts on the Cardinals this season. They might not have been able to get the team into the playoffs, but they gave it their best shot. They were bright spots in a disappointing season, and fans were happy to have them around to root for, no matter the overall results.

“And the winners are…”

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Jermaine Gresham nearly doubled all of his output from 2015

When Jermaine Gresham came over from the Cincinnati Bengals, he hoped to reproduce some of the numbers that he had the last time he teamed with Carson Palmer. In 2010, as a rookie, he had 52 receptions for 471 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Palmer moved on after that season, but Gresham stayed in Cincinnati for five seasons, averaging 56 catches, 544 yards, and 5 scores. He then left the Bengals via free agency, and signed a contract with the Cardinals.

His first season in Arizona didn’t go as well as he would have liked. He recorded just 18 receptions for 223 yards and 1 touchdown in 2015, as the Cardinals relied heavily on their receivers. Darren Fells got many of the tight end reps as well, limiting Gresham’s impact.

In 2016, Gresham began to make more of an impact, nearly doubling his statistical output. He had 37 catches for 391 yards and 2 touchdowns this season, and became the clear number one tight end. He also contributed to the offense with his blocking and his ability to extend plays by breaking tackles. He’s a free agent this offseason, but the Cardinals will likely attempt to keep him in Arizona, and see if he can put up even better numbers in 2017.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Chandler Jones has made a huge impact on the Cardinals, and on opposing quarterbacks

The 2015 Cardinals struggled in several areas, including the ability to get to the quarterback. They ranked 20th in the NFL in sacks, and were led by Dwight Freeney’s eight. They had just 35 sacks as a team, and went into the offseason looking to improve the pass rush. They brought in Chandler Jones, via trade, to help.

Jones instantly added teeth to the Cardinals defense, giving them a pass rusher that opponents had to scheme for on every down. He paid dividends right away.

Jones opened the season with a sack in each of Arizona’s first four games, and he ended up totaling 11 on the season. He was also credited with three passes defended, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. His presence also allowed other players to shine, most notably Markus Golden, who flourished with another pass rush threat around him.

The Cardinals have a plethora of free agents to deal with this offseason, and Jones is one of them. The team seems determined to bring him back, and for good reason. Jones was a huge addition to the Cardinals in 2016, and he clearly made them better.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

DJ Humphries showed he could be a major contributor in the future

Everyone knows a team needs a solid quarterback to win in the NFL, but every quarterback needs a strong offensive line to succeed, no matter how good they are. One of the downfalls of Carson Palmer and the Cardinals in 2016 was their offensive line, which was decimated by injury.

Palmer was sacked 40 times this season, which was fifth most in the NFL. It also contributed to his struggles this season, which in turn helped to cause the tough season in Arizona.

DJ Humphries isn’t technically a newcomer, having been drafted a year before. However, he was inactive for every single game of the 2015 season. As a former first round pick, it was disappointing, and he wanted to be better in 2016.

Humphries got his wish, and started the season at right tackle, and performed well. He also spent time at left tackle due to injury, starting 13 games overall. He was solid overall, and could become a long-term solution on the offensive line, something Cardinals quarterbacks will be happy about.

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Calais Campbell is the player that holds the defense together

The Cardinals defense was mostly very good in 2016. They were in the top half of the league in points given up, sixth in takeaways, second in yards surrendered, and first in sacks. It was a unit that kept them in many games, when the offense faltered. Calais Campbell was a big part of that.

Patrick Peterson, Chandler Jones, Tony Jefferson, and Markus Golden all had notably good seasons, and others played well too, but it was Campbell who was the backbone. The veteran defensive end did it all, rushing the passer, setting the edge, and taking up blocks allowing others to make plays.

Campbell’s play didn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but he did have nice numbers for a 3-4 defensive end. He racked up eight sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, six defended passes, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception, and two touchdowns. He did it all, and made good things happen.

Campbell is yet another player the Cardinals have to make a decision on this offseason. He’s a free agent, and figures to get a nice payday. They should try and keep him. On a defense full of great players, Campbell made it go.

Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Larry Fitzgerald is still a great player, and had a huge 2016

Larry Fitzgerald may be well into his 30’s, and he might be a different player than he was 10 years ago, but he’s still dangerous, and proved it in 2016. He was an integral part of the offense, especially with the turmoil the receiving corps faced.

Amid sub-par performances, injuries, and a large number of dropped passes, Fitzgerald shined. The 33 year-old wound up with a league leading 107 receptions, 1,023 yards, and 6 touchdowns. His catch total was the second highest of his career, and it was the eighth time he went over 1,000 yards receiving.

With the problems the other receivers were having, Fitzgerald’s contributions meant even more. He was targeted 150 times, which was more than double the number of any other receiver on the Cardinals.

Fitzgerald has not decided whether or not to continue his career into 2017. Retirement is an option for the future Hall of Famer, but a championship would certainly be a nice way to close out his career. Unfortunately 2016 didn’t go the way he would have liked for the team, but he did his part, and was once again, one of the league’s best pass catchers.

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

David Johnson was the Cardinals best player in 2016

When David Johnson was drafted in 2015, analysts mostly liked what he brought to the table, but few saw him as a future star. The young running back proved them all wrong with a 2016 performance that left everyone breathless.

As the season moved along, Johnson began to establish himself as a legitimate NFL MVP candidate. With every 100 yard game (a number he broke every week except for week 17) more people took notice. He piled up numbers from week to week, even though the team wasn’t winning consistently.