Which Cardinals Offensive Units Have Most Talent, Depth?

The Arizona Cardinals have set themselves up over the past few seasons to build a roster of strong, home-grown players who improve with each season's worth of experience. Such is the way to build a sustained winner in this era of the NFL.

The Cardinals have generally avoided spending big on free agents offensively, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially considering the lack of sustainability from the previous regime's roster construction.

Rather than adding bloated veteran contracts for injury-prone players, the Cardinals have drafted and developed players, and offensive stars they have paid highly have been their own guys - not external hires.

The external signings they have made have been calculated, high-value signings. Names like Hjalte Froholdt and Evan Brown are examples of this type.

But the Cardinals offense sees a differing level of depth or talent at a positional level. The WR room has potential top-end talent in Marvin Harrison Jr., but other than some potentially solid player in Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch, there's very little depth, and Harrison has yet to prove he's a true X receiver.

Meanwhile, Arizona has bolstered its QB room with Jacoby Brissett. Regardless of one's thoughts about Kyler Murray, the Cardinals undeniably have a talented started with a sturdy backup behind him — finally.

Along the offensive line, there's a young home-grown star in Paris Johnson Jr., and three value signings with Brown, Froholdt and veteran Kelvin Beachum. Beyond those names, however, there is very little depth, unless Isaiah Adams is able to become a starting-caliber guard in a short amount of time.

Arizona's running back room might be the deepest of all units. Workhorse powerhouse James Conner heads up the group with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, carrying the brunt of the Cardinals' offensive production.

Behind Conner there is a wealth of depth, including a potential future starter in Trey Benson. Even Emari Demercado is proficient in pass blocking and can be utilized sparingly for a change of pace.

Then, of course, there's the tight end room. Star Trey McBride was just given a four-year, $76 million contract, and deservedly so. McBride picked up 1,146 yards and was Murray's main target. Behind McBride, Elijiah Higgins is solid enough as a receiving TE, and Tip Reiman is the mauler for 13 personnel situations and running downs.

Conclusion

The Cardinals do have plenty of depth and home-grown talent, but certain groups are more solidfied than others. The RB room and TE unit are both the most talented and the deepest throughout, while the offensive line has some questions, but is fundamentally sound.

The Cardinals' QB situation looks improved from a depth standpoint, though there are questions about the consistency of the star of that group.

Meanwhile, the WR room is left out in the cold, hoping for stardom out of Harrison, with very little reinforcements behind him in a run-first, tight end-emphasizing offensive scheme.