Arizona Cardinals GM falls way down in Rotoworld GM Rankings

Once the toast of the NFL, few have fallen as far in the eyes of the pundits as Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim.

His work in the draft has become something that has endured ridicule, especially his first round picks. When Bruce Arians left and Keim was exposed in 2018, it left a sour taste in many mouths.

So, when GM rankings come out over the next couple of months, don't be shocked if many read as this one does.

Rotoworld ranked NFL GMs and Keim now finds himself near the bottom.

25. Steve Keim, Cardinals

Steve Keim is lucky to still have a job. Headed into his seventh season, Keim has never made a good first-round pick. No. 1 overall selection Kyler Murray seems like the perfect player to snap the streak, but Murray’s presence in the desert only speaks to how awful Keim’s recent work has been. 2018 was a staggering nadir. Adrift following the loss of partner-in-crime Bruce Arians, Keim made the low-wattage hire of Steve Wilks. Paired with overwhelmed rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, Wilks’ undermanned roster finished 3-13, getting outscored 425-225. By point differential, they were the worst team since the 2013 Jaguars. This was not by design, but it was no accident. Terrible drafts and poor free agent decisions left Keim’s squad without an identity on either side of the ball. Instead of taking the fall, Keim was allowed to one-and-done Wilks and throw a Hail Mary for his replacement. Kliff Kingsbury’s teams had a special trait at Texas Tech: Scoring points. Specifically, 38 per game. Unfortunately, they allowed a weekly 37 and never won more than four games in Big 12 play. Now Kingsbury, who has zero previous NFL coaching experience, is tasked with resurrecting the worst situation in the league. Perhaps he will. He could also easily end up the overly aggressive yin to Wilks’ too conservative yang. Out of second chances, Keim’s fate rests on his rookie head coach’s connection with his rookie quarterback.

I think we can all agree that Keim’s neck is on the line with the Kliff Kingsbury hire and Kyler Murray draft pick, but it is not in the immediate.

They’ll get a chance to see this vision through, which will define Keim’s overall time as a general manager in the NFL.

Will it be a redemption story or will this be the final act?