:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59194591/usa_today_10510450.0.jpg)
With the offseason of change occurring for the Arizona Cardinals the response from the media has been less than ideal.
We have seen some positives placed on their signings and most people seemed to really like the hire of Steve Wilks, but it is the flux of the roster that has pundits worried.
It is clear that there is a belief that the Arizona Cardinals will take some form of a step back in 2018 and that is never more clear than with the newest ESPN 2018 NFL Power Rankings.
29. Arizona Cardinals
2017 record: 8-8
Way-too-early ranking: 26
The Cardinals entered the offseason with no quarterbacks signed for 2018, and now they have two: Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. There’s a good chance Arizona will need both this season, too. Bradford has missed 48 games in his career, and has played all 16 games just twice in eight NFL seasons.
Somehow, after free agency, ESPN thinks less of the Arizona Cardinals than they did before it... and you know what, that’s alright.
One of the things we have found with the Arizona Cardinals is that expectations can be hard to meet.
In fact, the Cardinals were not highly thought of in 2013, albeit from NFL.com’s way too early power rankings:
26. Arizona Cardinals
Since we last did these rankings, Carson Palmer has been added to the fray. There have been many comparisons to the Palmer signing and Kurt Warner joining the Cards back in 2005. Yes, they are similar players, except not at all.
What this does is show that what the thoughts of a team in March or May or August or even September, don’t matter. And maybe, with the state of flux of the Arizona Cardinals roster, especially on offense, as well as coaching change from the winningest coach in team history to a first time NFL head coach, the expectations should be low.
No one really knows much about the Cardinals, what to expect or what type of team they will even be putting out on Sunday’s. So, rank them low, keep those expectations down and then adjust accordingly when we see them on the field in September and October.