Marquise Brown “Excited” For Opportunity With Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a blockbuster trade on day one of the NFL Draft, sending away the No. 23 selection to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for speedy wideout Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown.
It was another stunning chapter in the series of marquee wide receiver trades. In the 2022 offseason, we saw Amari Cooper (Dallas to Cleveland), Davante Adams (Green Bay to Las Vegas), Tyreek Hill (Kansas City to Miami) and A.J. Brown (Tennessee to Philadelphia) all change teams.
The blockbuster deal reunites Brown with former Oklahoma teammate and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Brown opened up on the trade to Arizona media, emphasizing his excitement to play in a star-studded offense.
“In college I had guys around me,) CeeDee Lamb,” Brown said, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ team website. “I’ve played with Mark Andrews. It’s not about the targets, it’s about what type of targets.”
Coming off their first playoff appearance in six years, the Cardinals are a trendy pick to make the postseason again next year. They’re also a potential darkhorse pick to win the Super Bowl with +2700 odds at FanDuel. The Cardinals are one of several teams you can place wagers through Arizona betting apps, and some of the sportsbooks are offering new customers risk-free bets of up to $1,000.
Brown will have the chance to emerge as the lead pass-catcher in Arizona, especially with top wideout DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first six games for violating the league’s NFL policy.
Either way, the two and Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz figure to form one of the league’s elite pass-catching units in 2022.
“I’ve been in an offense where I’ve been getting all the attention, I’ve been getting the cloud coverages,” Brown said, per Urban. “I’m excited to get some one-on-one matchups and spread the field out.”
Kliff Kingsbury On Maxx Williams’ Recovery
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t have a timeline on when veteran tight end Maxx Williams will return to the field.
Williams, who re-upped for one another year in The Desert, suffered a torn ACL in Arizona’s Week 5 home win against the San Francisco 49ers last season.
“He’s been rehabbing,” Kingsbury said, per Jess Root of Cards Wire. “You know, it’ll be a process. We know that. We knew that after his initial surgery, but he’s doing everything he can and I don’t have a timetable on it right now.”
The 28-year-old Williams caught 16 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown in the five games he played last season. Williams, entering his fourth season with the Redbirds, was on track to set career bests across the board before his injury.
The Cardinals have arguably the deepest tight end depth chart on the roster. They re-signed Ertz for three years and subsequently drafted Trey McBride — widely regarded as the top tight end in this year’s class — with the No. 55 selection.
Ertz was acquired in a midseason trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, and it didn’t take him long to produce in The Desert.
In 11 games with the Cardinals, Ertz racked up 56 catches for 574 yards and three touchdowns. McBride had a superb final season at Colorado State, notching 90 receptions for 1,121 yards and a touchdown.
Williams’ return will give Murray three quality tight ends on top of the deep receiving corps led by Hopkins, Brown and Rondale Moore. Simply put, there’s no shortage of playmaking weapons for Murray entering 2022.
Cardinals Announce Several Coaching Promotions
The Cardinals announced the promotions of several assistant coaches on Tuesday.
Per Urban, wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson has been assigned the associate head coach position as well. Jefferson joined Arizona in 2021 following a two-year stint on Adam Gase’s staff with the New York Jets.
Another former Jets assistant, Matt Burke, has been named the new Cardinals’ defensive line coach. He takes over for Brentson Buckner, who left Arizona after two seasons to join Doug Pederson’s staff in Jacksonville.
Mike Bercovici, who joined the Cardinals as a coaching assistant following a one-year stint as a graduate assistant at Arizona State, is now an offensive assistant. Spencer Whipple and Cam Turner have also been named the co-passing game coordinators.
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