A lot of people are counting on the Arizona Cardinals for a disappointing 2022 season after they finished with a 4-13 record.
They have a new head coach in Jonathan Gannon, the former defensive coordinator of the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, but their quarterback, Kyler Murray, is recovering from a torn ACL suffered at the end of last season.
Murray’s status for the 2023 campaign is in question, and should he return this fall, he will be without one of his main targets, as the team recently released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins .
That leaves fellow wideout Marquis Brown as Arizona’s main weapon and the man they need to step up.
But he’s using the challenge of being the team’s WR1 as motivation for the coming season.
Cardinals WR Marquis Brown aims to “prove I can be the man” in 2023https://t.co/VNV1ThuDuS pic.twitter.com/EAFSZg8fps
— Around the NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 13, 2023
“I want to prove that I can be that guy,” Brown said on Wednesday. “I want to prove that as an offense, as a team that we can be the team that we know we can be. I think everybody from the coach to the players feels the same way.” does.”
Brown, who was the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has developed into a credible threat for the Baltimore Ravens.
As a rookie, he threw for 584 yards and seven touchdowns while helping quarterback Lamar Jackson connect on a league-high 36 touchdown passes and win the regular season MVP award.
In 2021, Brown had 1,008 yards and six touchdowns.
The Cardinals have little hope of making the playoffs this winter, but if they do, the Browns will have to take things to a level they’ve never played before.
That would mean securing a Pro Bowl berth and gaining over 1,000 yards.
The saving grace for the Cardinals may be the lack of depth throughout the NFC.
If Murray is able to bounce back sooner and he improves one of the worst defenses in the league, he’ll probably surprise some people.
next:
Cardinals give latest update on GM Buddah Baker’s trade request