The Arizona Cardinals are a team poised to breakout in the 2021 NFL season. After a strong start to the 2020 season at 6-3, they sputtered toward the end and finished with a record of 8-8. Nagging injuries to quarterback Kyler Murray slowed down what was an explosive offense.
The dual-threat Murray looked like an MVP candidate in the early going, racking up yardage and touchdowns at a historic pace. The addition of star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins helped Murray take his game to the next level. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much help at the wide receiver spot beyond Hopkins.
Hopkins was targeted 160 times, catching 115 balls for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. Christian Kirk was second on the team for wide receivers with only 621 yards on 48 receptions with six touchdowns in 14 games. The ageless Larry Fitzgerald was a distant third with 409 yards on 53 receptions with one touchdown in 13 games.
Arizona used a lot of draft capital on the wide receiver spot the past two years, but no one has panned out yet. Kirk, Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler and KeeSean Johnson were all selected since 2018.
Adding a reliable veteran to the mix will help elevate this offense to the next level and will be something to watch in NFL rumors. Luckily for Arizona, there are plenty of options in this year’s free-agent class. Spotrac predicts that they will find help in the form of TY Hilton.
The former Indianapolis Colts burner has lost a step or two in recent years, but he would still be a major upgrade after a good bounceback season in 2020. Hilton caught 56 passes for 762 yards and five touchdowns. He would fit in seamlessly in Arizona as the No. 2 or 3 option behind Hopkins.
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Spotrac projects Hilton to land a two-year, $22 million deal in free agency from Arizona. He is a great route runner and is reliable with only 10 drops in the last three seasons. Remaining with a team that plays their games indoors, as the Colts did, is something that should appeal to Hilton as well.
With DeAndre Hopkins drawing the attention of opposing defenses, Hilton should have no problem finding spots to exploit opposing defenses in the Arizona Cardinals’ air raid offense.
