Arizona Cardinals stock up, stock down

NFL training camps are a little more than two months away, a perfect time to take stock of each team's trending players going into the season. This is stock up and stock down for the Arizona Cardinals. 

Stock up 

Myjai Sanders, edge rusher: With 2022 sack leader J.J. Watt retired, the Cardinals need a strong pass rusher. Even with Watt, the Cardinals were a bottom-10 team in sacks. Sanders could fill the void left by the future Hall of Famer.

A third-round pick in 2022, Sanders showed potential as a rookie in a limited role and is going to have an opportunity to shine as a starter this season. In 13 appearances and four starts in 2022, the athletic edge rusher recorded three sacks, defended three passes, forced a fumble, made three tackles for loss and had five quarterback hits. 

He will get a push from second-round pick BJ Ojulari, but Sanders should have the upper hand for playing time and will have an opportunity to become an impact player for a young defense. 

Monti Ossenfort, general manager: In his first running of the Cardinals' draft, Ossenfort put on a clinic in making trades to help the Arizona address a major need (offensive tackle with Paris Johnson) but also stockpile draft picks for his 2023 class and the future. The Cardinals made nine picks in 2023 and already have 10 picks for the 2024 class, including two first-round picks and three third-round picks. 

The most significant of those trades could be the draft-day deal with Houston that secured Arizona the Texans' 2024 first-round pick. Given how bad the Texans could be, that selection could be a top-five pick, which could either position the Cardinals to land another quarterback if Kyler Murray doesn't progress or to continue adding impact talent around him.  

Stock down 

Kyler Murray, quarterback: Even before his season-ending knee injury, Murray took a significant step backward in 2022 and did not look like the big-money, franchise quarterback the Cardinals hoped he would be. Not only that, he must prove he can still be that player while coming back from a major knee injury that could limit him early in the season.

This feels like a make-or-break year for Murray, especially when the Cardinals could realistically have a pair of top-five picks in 2024 (their own pick and Houston's pick), which could position them to take USC QB Caleb Williams if Murray struggles again.  

Isaiah Simmons, linebacker: Simmons arrived in Arizona as a top-10 pick in 2020 with huge expectations, but he has not yet matched them on the field. That already resulted in the Cardinals declining to pick up his fifth-year option, and could even put him on the trade block this summer. 

He has racked up tackles, but he has not been an impact player or somebody that a defense can be built around. If he were, the Cardinals would have jumped at the chance to secure his fifth-year option. He is another player in Arizona facing a make-or-break year, especially with a new coaching staff and front office that had no role in picking him.