Kliff Kingsbury deserves one more shot as head coach of Cardinals
A turbulent offseason centered around Kyler Murray's contract demands spilled over to training camp and into the regular season for the Arizona Cardinals, derailing any chance at fielding a competitive team for head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
So, it should be no surprise that the Cardinals went from 11 wins in 2021 to 4-11 and the NFC West cellar in one year.
Kingsbury is 28-35-1 in four seasons as the team's head coach, including one postseason appearance in which the Cardinals were humbled on the road by the eventual Super Bowl champs, a 34-11 victory by the Los Angeles Rams.
However, Kingsbury signed a new contract during the offseason that keeps him with the Cardinals through the 2027 season, along with general manager Steve Keim, who took a health-related leave of absence this year. Vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson took over for Keim during his absence.
There's certainly a possibility that Kingsbury and Keim do not return next season, and that would be an understood and justifiable move by owner Mike Bidwill.
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Joy Taylor weighs explains why Kyler Murray's injury is a perfect opportunity for the Cardinals to decide what their identity should be moving forward with or without head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
However, Murray likely will not be available until this time next year as he recovers from a torn ACL in his right knee, a 9-12-month recovery time with surgery scheduled for January.
That fact makes the Cardinals head coaching job less attractive. So, perhaps Arizona's best path forward is to stick with Kingsbury for one more season to see if he can right the ship.
"Guys continue to give great effort, play hard and play to win," Kingsbury said this week after his team's latest loss, an overtime setback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "That's all you can ask for at this point."
Injuries and dysfunction reigned in 2022
The Cardinals were ravaged by injuries along the offensive line and offensive skill position group this season, making it hard for them to move the football on a consistent basis.
Arizona's projected starting offensive line of D.J. Humphries, Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson, Will Hernandez and Kelvin Beachum played just three games together this year. Three of those five starters will finish the season on the injured reserve. The Cardinals have used 10 different starting offensive line combinations this year.
All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins missed the first six games of the year for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing drugs. New addition Marquise "Hollywood" Brown missed five games with a foot injury. Running back James Conner missed three games with a high-ankle sprain.
Tight end Zach Ertz finished the year on injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury. Receiver Rondale Moore had been in and out of the lineup with hamstring issues and will finish the year on the injured reserve with a groin injury.
Playmakers in Murray, Hopkins, Brown, Moore, Conner and Ertz never played a regular-season snap together as a group this season.
Along with those injuries, Kingsbury had to deal with losing two coaches in running backs coach James Saxon and offensive line coach Sean Kugler due to off-the-field issues.
And yet the Cardinals still competed for much of the year, finishing 2-5 in one-score games.
"We have an opportunity to circle the wagons and find a way to win," backup quarterback Colt McCoy said, when asked about finishing out the year strong. "And that's the goal. That's it, nothing else but finish strong. I believe in the guys down there 100 percent. I'll ride or die with them. We've had injuries and bad stuff happen all year. But we get a chance to go play NFL football and we're going to give it our best shot."
Who is Arizona's quarterback in 2023?
Making the job less attractive for a potential, heavyweight coach like Sean Payton is the fact that Murray will be on the sidelines holding a clipboard in 2023. So, the Cardinals will have to sign a bridge quarterback to compete in the NFC West in free agency like Jimmy Garoppolo or Jacoby Brissett to keep pace until Murray returns.
Other jobs like the Denver Broncos or the Carolina Panthers might offer a clearer path or more control for a big-name coach like Payton or Jim Harbaugh if he wants to return to the NFL.
Also, teams that want Payton will have to open up their pocketbook for a contract that pays him $10 million annually, along with giving up a first-round draft pick as compensation for his rights to the New Orleans Saints. That seems like a steep price to pay for the Cardinals, and they are already on the hook for Kingsbury and Keim's deals.
Murray's injury history is also a consideration, with knee, hamstring and wrist injuries limiting his availability during his time with the team.
There's also the general manager position to consider, with the Cardinals' potential promoting from within and limiting a new head coach's control to make big-picture decisions. The Cardinals have not gone outside the organization to hire a new general manager since 1994.
Are the Cardinals willing to hand over control of major decisions for the franchise to someone like Payton, which is likely what it will take to secure his services?
No doubt, the Cardinals have struggled under Kingsbury of late. He is 5-16 in his last 21 games, has won just one home game in over a year and the Cardinals are riding a five-game losing streak.
Even worse, Kingbury's teams have wilted in the second half of each season, with a 10-23 record after Week 8 during the regular season since 2019.
Keim hasn't been much help in bringing in talent to create depth. Of Arizona's 24 draft selections since taking Murray in the first round of the 2021 draft, only five of those players developed into starter for the Cardinals — safety Jalen Thompson, defensive lineman Leki Fotu, defensive back Bryon Murphy and linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins.
That said, the Cardinals can point to injuries, dysfunction and fledging talent for some of those issues. Arizona has eight draft picks in the 2023 draft and a little over $20 million in salary cap space projected for next season.
They brought in Kingsbury to develop Murray into a franchise quarterback and create sustainable winning in the desert, so why not give him another year to clean up the mess he helped to create and to see if he can finish the job with a healthy roster by adding more talent and stability?
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Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.