3 weapons Arizona Cardinals can add to capitalize on Kyler Murray resurgence

The Arizona Cardinals had an interesting year in 2023. They faced a significant injury as Kyler Murray took most of the year to continue to recover from an ACL injury.

The team added Josh Dobbs late in August, and to start the season, it was Dobbs who got the starting nod. In Week 9, rookie Clayton Tune took over against Cleveland (a game where the offense was held scoreless), and Dobbs was shipped off to Minnesota.

Then, in Week 10, Kyler Murray made his long-awaited season debut.

The team struggled to win games with Murray at the helm, but Murray proved to many that he could still lead an explosive offense. In Murray’s eight weeks of play, Arizona was a top-10 offense. In Week 17, he managed to pull off an upset against a very talented Eagles team.

But, as we enter the offseason, the Cardinals have more questions than answers. After a draft day trade a year ago, the Cardinals own the No. 4 pick and the Texans' pick at No. 27 and have key free agents such as Marquise Brown.

According to overthecap.com, as of right now, the Cardinal is eleventh best in cap space at $14.5 million. What moves can they make to give Murray the weapons he needs?

1. Mike Evans in free agency

The Cardinals will need receiving threats to pair with rising star Trey McBride, and Marquise Brown seems as if he is ready to leave town. The Cardinals will need a veteran receiver who can still get the job done at a high level, similar to what Deandre Hopkins was able to be in Arizona. Enter Mike Evans.

Evans is now expected not to be franchise-tagged by Tampa Bay, as the expected price would be $28.4 million. Evans is going to hit the open market for the first time in his career.

There is no one more consistent at the receiver position than him. Since he entered the league in 2014 as a first-rounder out of Texas A&M, Evans had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. It’s safe to say he answered the bell. Evans has posted 1,000 yards every season.

At 6-foot-5, Evans has unique size, speed, and strength that allows him to get behind defenders and be a consistent deep ball threat year after year. This past year he caught 79 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns from Kyler Murray’s fellow Heisman-winning Oklahoma Sooner, Baker Mayfield.

Evans will come with a price tag, and if the Cardinals can’t get it done, they might want to set their sights on the draft.