Fansided

Ravens are winning the offseason, and so are these other teams

By Russell S. Baxter

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Head coach John Harbaugh interacts with Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens prior to playing against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Dan Kubus/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Head coach John Harbaugh interacts with Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens prior to playing against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Dan Kubus/Getty Images) /
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DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

4. Arizona Cardinals

It was one of the more astounding trades in recent league annals. Was Houston Texans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on the market? Nevertheless, he’s now a member of the Arizona Cardinals, a team under head coach Kliff Kingsbury and led at quarterback by 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Kyler Murray. General manager Steve Keim obtained the All-Pro performer and an fourth-round pick in April for running back David Johnson, a second-round selection next month and 2021 fourth-round choice.

Of course, the real issue for a team that finished 5-10-1 this past season and dead last in the NFC West for the second straight year was on defense. No team in the NFL gave up more total yards than Arizona in ‘19. The Cardinals also surrendered the second-most passing yards in the league along with an NFL-high 38 scores through the air. Vance Joseph’s unit was abused underneath as the club gave up 16 TD tosses to tight ends alone.

While outside linebacker Chandler Jones totaled an impressive 19 sacks, the rest of the roster combined for 21 QB traps. That figures to change a bit with the addition of talented interior presence Jordan Phillips, who finally lived up to promise. In his second season with the Bills, the former Miami Dolphins’ second-round pick came up with career-best 9.5 sacks. Linebackers Devon Kennard (Detroit Lions) and De’Vondre Campbell (Atlanta Falcons) should Joseph’s unit help as well. And on offense, the Cards held onto the rights to running back Kenyan Drake via the transition tag.

Next: No. 3

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