The Arizona Cardinals took some big swings this offseason. They moved on from Kyler Murray, drafted running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall, and handed the keys to a new offensive direction under Mike LaFleur. But at least one ESPN analyst thinks the Cardinals swung and missed on both counts.
ESPN’s Seth Walder dropped offseason grades for every NFL team. Arizona landed dead last with a D. And Walder didn’t hold back on why.
The Kyler Murray Decision Made No Sense to Walder
First up: Murray. The Cardinals released him instead of trading him. That means Murray will now collect $35.5 million this season to play for nobody. Walder thinks there was a smarter path.
“Did they really need to release him?” Walder wrote. Murray was due over $78 million over the next two years, money that would have become fully guaranteed if he stayed on the roster past March 15. That’s a heavy number. But Walder pointed out that Arizona could have paid Murray’s $17 million roster bonus, then traded him. They could have converted some salary into a signing bonus to sweeten the deal for another team.
“They could have received draft pick compensation for Murray while paying him, say, $20 million this year to not play for them. Or even $30 million,” Walder argued. Instead, the Cardinals get nothing back. Just a cap hit and an empty quarterback room.
Jeremiyah Love at No. 3? Walder Says It’s a Positional Value Problem
Then there’s the Love pick. Walder doesn’t think Love is a bad player. He just thinks taking any running back at third overall is bad business.
“Love is an exceptional running back prospect. But to take any running back at No. 3 flies in the face of positional value, or lack thereof,” Walder wrote. “The running back position doesn’t move the needle all that much.”
He used Bijan Robinson as a comparison. Robinson was taken eighth overall by the Falcons and has been one of the best backs in football. But the Falcons haven’t won a playoff game with him. The point being: elite running backs don’t change your franchise’s ceiling the way elite quarterbacks, pass rushers, or left tackles do.
The Cardinals are now in an odd spot. They don’t have a proven starter at quarterback. They spent a top-three pick on a position the league has devalued for years. And they handed Murray a huge check to go play for another team anyway.
Realistically, nobody expects Arizona to make noise this season. But the real question is whether this rebuild will look smarter a couple years from now, or whether Love’s rookie contract will overlap with another team’s playoff window instead.
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