Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Murray (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The paradigm has been shifted once again in the NFL, but which five teams had the best offseasons in 2020?
Following the 2019 NFL season that ended with the Kansas City Chiefs lifting their second-ever Lombardi Trophy, 31 other NFL teams went back to their respective drawing boards.
The offseason provides teams with an inkling of hope. Just like the start of the season, everyone believes that they can put themselves in a winning scenario. Teams with losing records look to right the wrongs of previous seasons while winning teams look to build on what they already have.
The draft gives teams an opportunity to dip into the future and build ahead, while free agency is another prominent piece of the puzzle, but not everyone can do it right.
But which five teams impressed more than anyone else?
Arizona Cardinals
There’ll be no complaints surrounding Kyler Murray’s supporting cast this season. The Cardinals traded for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, an undisputed top-five talent at his position, as well as re-signing Larry Fitzgerald to another one-year deal.
The trade for Hopkins could well prove to be one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history when everything is said and done. The Cardinals gave up David Johnson‘s contract, a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick for Hopkins and a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. There is no doubt the Texans should have got more.
The offensive line struggled to keep Murray upright as he was sacked more times than any other quarterback in the NFL. Yet running back Kenyan Drake‘s impressive end to the season gave hope he can take some of the load off Murray.
On defense, the Cardinals signed Jordan Phillips, De’Vondre Campbell and Devon Kennard, three players who can add some much-needed tenacity to a unit that gave up the fourth-most points in the NFL last year. In the draft, they concentrated on that weakness and picked up Isaiah Simmons, a swiss-army knife of a player with booming potential.
This team is still a season or two away from competing, but the rebuild marches on thanks to an impressive offseason.