Fans are closely watching the tight end position battle at the Cardinals training camp.
In 2022, quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver DeAndre Hopkins led the Arizona Cardinals to end their five-year NFL playoff drought.
After six months, one member of the duo is ready for a triumphant return while the other is facing a six-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Murray achieved a career-high of 3,787 passing yards and 24 touchdowns last season. He has now secured his return to the Valley for his fourth season with a five-year contract extension worth $230.5 million. The agreement was completed shortly before the commencement of training camp.
Hopkins is expected to be sidelined for a significant portion of the Cardinals’ season unless a last-minute decision is made by an arbitrator.
As training camp approaches, Cardinals fans are eagerly anticipating the tight end position battle due to Hopkins’ absence.
In the previous season, Arizona tight end Zach Ertz outperformed Hopkins in receiving yards with 574 compared to Hopkins’ 572. Ertz also had 17 more receptions than Hopkins, making 81 catches compared to Hopkins’ 64.
Yengols.com utilized Google Trends to determine the top three most searched position groups in the month prior to training camp, disregarding positions with confirmed starters.
After identifying the groups, yengols.com utilized Google Trends to examine the search popularity of each player within those specific position groups in the past week.
Cardinals Most Searched Position Battles
- Tight ends
- Safeties
- Cornerbacks
A thorough examination of the competition among tight ends and the current situation of the Cardinals with Arizona sportsbooks is provided here.
Cardinals TEs’ Arizona Search Rankings
Analyzing the Competition for Starting Roles
Cardinals fans are most interested in whether Ertz can hold onto his spot as Arizona’s top tight end against Trey McBride, a 2022 second round draft pick from Colorado State.
McBride finished his four-year stint in Fort Collins with 164 catches, 2,100 yards receiving, and 10 touchdowns. At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, he is ideal for excelling in the Cardinals’ spread passing attack under the guidance of coach Kliff Kingsbury.
At training camp, he is vying for playing time as the team’s second tight end against veteran Maxx Williams. Williams, who has been in the league for seven years, appeared in all 16 games last season.
According to Google Trends, the Cardinals’ defensive backfield is the most interesting to fans.
During this upcoming season, the Cardinals are excited to have their star cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. returning, who was the team leader in interceptions with four in 2021, as well as safety Budda Baker, who had three interceptions. However, veterans Chris Banjo, Robert Alford, and Kevin Peterson have not yet been signed as they start training camp.
Arizona finished the last season with the seventh-lowest passing yards allowed per game in the NFL at 214.4, and also notched 13 interceptions, placing them 16th in the league.
The return of Murphy and Baker to the team could play a key role in boosting the turnover rate for Vance Joseph’s defense in the upcoming season.
Make sure to check yengols.com frequently throughout the NFL season for the best Arizona sports betting promo codes.
Super Bowl Odds
Cardinals are among the teams with average Super Bowl betting odds.
BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook Arizona are doubtful about the prospects of Kingsbury’s team succeeding without Hopkins.
Neither operator sees the Cardinals as frontrunners for the Super Bowl in Arizona, ranking them below the L.A. Rams and San Francisco in the NFC West.
The Cardinals are currently in a three-way tie with Cleveland and Tennessee for the 14th spot, all with +3000 odds to win Super Bowl LVII at BetMGM.
Arizona is ranked at +300 to win the West division, behind the Rams (+120) and 49ers (+200) in terms of divisional odds.
BetMGM is offering odds of +1400 for the Arizona Cardinals to win the NFC, ranking them seventh out of 16 teams. If you are considering placing bets on the Cardinals, this may be of interest to you.
Caesars Sportsbook Arizona is offering the Cardinals odds of +3500 to win their first Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in February, ranking them 15th in the NFL.
The Emperor has given Arizona a +1500 odds to win the NFC, putting them in seventh place overall. They also have +300 odds to win the NFC West, ranking them third behind L.A. (+135) and San Francisco (+180).
Additionally, Caesars Sportsbook Arizona has established the Cardinals’ expected win total for 2022 at 9, offering +110 odds for the over and -130 odds for the under.
Additional Cardinals to Keep an Eye on in 2022
While the Cardinals may not have favorable Super Bowl LVII and divisional odds, the same cannot be said for Murray.
The former Heisman Trophy winner has +2200 odds to win the NFL MVP at Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, placing him behind Lamar Jackson of Baltimore but ahead of Deshaun Watson of Cleveland, who has +3000 odds.
Murray is ranked 11th on the operator’s MVP odds board. The top choice is Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen (+700), with Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes (+800) close behind.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on receiver Marquise Brown, who was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade on NFL Draft night in exchange for their first-round pick, in addition to Murray.
Brown has amassed more than 2,000 receiving yards and 317 receptions in his three-year NFL career. He reached his first 1,000-yard season in 2021.
The former Oklahoma Sooner will be tasked with shouldering the load on the perimeter during Hopkins’ absence for six games.
James Conner, the Cardinals’ top rusher, is returning after scoring 15 touchdowns and rushing for over 750 yards last season.
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Author
Peterson Christopher has over seven years of experience covering sports and sports betting in Arizona, with previous roles at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News. He currently holds the position of lead writer at yengols.com.
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