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The Arizona Cardinals very nearly made the playoffs in the 2020 season. Ultimately, though, the Cardinals faltered down the stretch, dropping their last two regular-season games. They finished just shy of a wild card spot. Even so, the future is bright in Arizona.
A big reason for the bright future is the emergence of quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray was selected to the Pro Bowl last season. Arizona also has one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins. The Murray-Hopkins combination will be dangerous for years to come.
How the Cardinals' already dynamic offense continues to grow and get better will be something to watch out for throughout training camp. Cardinals training camp will begin July 27. The practices will take place at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
Arizona Cardinals offseason news roundup
The Cardinals made headlines early in the offseason with the signing of J.J. Watt. The former Texans superstar will now be joining a defensive front that already features Chandler Jones. The Watt signing signaled a win-now approach from the Cardinals front office.
The win-now approach continued later in the offseason when the Cardinals traded a draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Rodney Hudson. Hudson will help stabilize the Cardinals' offensive line.
Arizona continued to make moves for veterans all offseason. Malcolm Butler, A.J. Green, Brian Winters and James Connor were all acquired by the Cardinals to shore up the ranks.
In the draft, the Cardinals added to their front seven with the selection of Zaven Collins in the first round. Rondale Moore was the team's second-round pick. Moore was one of the most explosive players in the draft.
With all the win-now moves this offseason, Kliff Kingsbury is likely feeling some pressure to get the Cardinals to the playoffs sooner rather than later.
Cardinals training camp predictions: Position battles to watch
Everyone knows DeAndre Hopkins is the Cardinals' number one wideout. However, the pecking order behind Hopkins remains a mystery.
A.J. Green and Christian Kirk will both battle for the second spot out wide, while Andy Isabella and rookie Rondale Moore will compete for the starting slot receiver role.
It should be noted that if Moore were to win the starting slot role then it wouldn't be all that surprising to see Isabella traded. Isabella has disappointed thus far in his career and a slow training camp could spell the end of his career in Arizona.
Another position battle to watch is at corner. The Cardinals' number one corner is likely to be Malcolm Butler and the starting slot corner will be Byron Murphy. The second cornerback spot, opposite Butler, is not as clear.
Robert Alford has had past success in the NFL, making him the sensible option. However, it will be interesting to see if either rookie Tay Gowan or Marco Wilson can make a push for a starting spot. Darqueze Dennard is another sneaky option to push for a starting role.
It's hard to see either rookie starting immediately over Alford or Dennard, but crazier things have happened.
