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Arizona Cardinals: 5 offseason needs in 2020

By Russell S. Baxter

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals on the sidelines in the first half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals on the sidelines in the first half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Tyler Higbee #89 of the Los Angeles Rams straight arms Jordan Hicks #58 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Tyler Higbee #89 of the Los Angeles Rams straight arms Jordan Hicks #58 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

1. Find linebackers who can cover

Watching opposing tight ends and in some cases running backs and even a quarterback eat the Cardinals’ defense alive underneath had to be pretty disturbing for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. All told, Arizona finished next-to-last in the league in passing yards allowed per game and gave up 38 scores through the air – also the second-most in the NFL.

To break it down a little further, the Cards surrendered 16 scoring tosses to both tight ends and wide receivers, five to running backs and one to Saints’ quarterback Taysom Hill. Ironically enough, inside linebacker Jordan Hicks led Kliff Kingsbury’s team with three interceptions.

Of course, Joseph’s unit wasn’t much better against the run. No team allowed more total yards per game than these Cardinals, who surrendered 47 offensive touchdowns and at least 20 points in all but one game this past season. All told, opposing attacks exploited the middle of the field on a consistent basis and this club consistently found itself playing from behind.

More fansided.com: NFL power rankings: 2020 edition – Chiefs at No. 1

General manager Steve Keim, Kingsbury and Joseph all have their work cut out for them. There’s little question that the Cardinals made definitive strides when it comes to the offensive side of the ball in 2019. But that means little if you can’t stop the other team and the club needs to address the middle of this unit.

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