2022 has not gone according to plan for the Cardinals, especially on offense. With the unit struggling to a highly unexpected degree, head coach Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged that he is contemplating a move many – including himself – would not have thought realistic until recently.
When speaking to the media on Monday, Kingsbury was asked about the possibility of him ceding play-calling duties on offense. “I am open to anything that helps us score more points and helps us win,” he responded. “We will see where it all goes, but yeah, whatever it takes to win, I’m all for it.”
Kingsbury’s arrival in Arizona came with high expectations, given his background on offense in the college ranks and his ties to quarterback Kyler Murray. He has called plays throughout his three-plus year tenure; over that span, the offense made incremental progress for one season to the next, improving from 16th in the league in scoring in 2019 to 11th in 2021.
This year, however, the unit has struggled considerably. The 2-4 Cardinals rank 22nd in scoring, averaging 19 points per game. In two of the past three contests, the team has failed to score an offensive touchdown. That marks a departure from the past two seasons, where Arizona had started campaigns very well, then trailed off in the latter stages of the season. Absences (via injury and suspension) have left the team without its full array of skill-position players to date, but Kingsbury has come under increasing scrutiny for the Cardinals’ inefficient play.
While the receiver corps will get DeAndre Hopkins back as early as this Thursday, it lost Marquise Brown to a foot injury during last week’s loss to the Seahawks. That opened the door to Arizona’s acquisition of Robbie Anderson, who could provide complimentary production as a vertical threat. How the team implements those new pieces into a middling passing attack will be worth monitoring.
Kingsbury, 43, signed an extension this offseason keeping him (along with general manager Steve Keim) on the books through 2027. Murray, too, is on a long-term, high-priced deal for the foreseeable future, so a change in play-caller could be the most significant offensive change possible short of a firing in Kingsbury’s case. The fact that he flatly rejected that notion last season speaks to the desperation he and the team now face as they look to climb out of the NFC West’s basement.
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