Cardinals’ 2019 Win Total Dips After Swapping Josh Rosen for Kyler Murray

• The Cardinals hit the reset button after compiling a dismal 3-13 record during 2018 NFL season
• Last year’s top pick Josh Rosen was dealt to the Miami Dolphins to make way for Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray
• Veteran free agent signings and emphasis on offense at the NFL Draft is unlikely to be enough to produce an immediate turnaround in the desert

After taking a major step back last season, when they tallied an NFL-worst 3-13 SU record, the Arizona Cardinals hit the reset button at the 2019 NFL Draft.

With the first-overall pick, the Cardinals selected quarterback Kyler Murray, and made room for the current Heisman Trophy winner by dealing their top pick from a year ago, passer Josh Rosen, to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round pick in this year’s Draft and a fifth-rounder next year.

While Murray enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2018, his arrival in the desert has been followed by a dip in the Cardinals’ 2019 NFL win totals, where they are now projected to have just 5.0 wins next season.

Arizona Cardinals 2019 Regular Season Win Total Odds

*Odds taken 05/01/19

Cardinals Finished 2019 with NFL-Worst Offense

Following the retirement of veteran passer Carson Palmer at the end of the 2017 season, the Cardinals put their offense in the hands of another former Sooners pivot, bringing in veteran Sam Bradford. However, after being limited by injury to just two appearances with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, the top pick in the 2010 NFL Draft struggled in his Arizona debut, powering the squad to just 20 total points in three losses to open the season before getting pulled in favor of Rosen.

Arizona Cardinals QB moves, last 13 months:

*sign Sam Bradford 2yr/$40m, $15m guaranteed
*sign Mike Glennon 2yr/$8m, $4m guaranteed
*draft Josh Rosen #10 overall after trading 3rd and 5th round picks to move up. Pay Rosen $11.3m in 2018
*draft Kyler Murray #1 overall

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) April 26, 2019

Things didn’t get much better for the Cardinals with Rosen under center. The Arizona offense mustered 20 or more points on just three occasions over the course of 2018, finishing the season at the bottom of the NFL team stats, averaging a meagre 241.6 yards and 14.1 points per game.

Coaching Change has Spurred Offseason Overhaul in the Desert

With nowhere to go but up, the Cardinals parted ways with head coach Steve Wilks at the end of the season, replacing him with former Texas Tech bench boss Kliff Kingsbury, and also took steps to shore up their abysmal passing game, which generated just 157.7 yards per game in 2018 by adding a trio of wide receivers.

Most notable among those is Andy Isabella, whom they selected with the second-round pick acquired from Miami. He is expected to be an immediate impact player in Arizona.

The Draft Day overhaul comes on the heels of the team’s signing of veteran free agents Robert Alford, Charles Clay, Brooks Reed, and Terrell Suggs. Arizona also inked star receiver Larry Fitzgerald to a one-year extension. But while the veteran moves are designed to make this squad more competitive, is it realistic to expect the Cardinals to make major gains on their win total?

Little Reason to Expect Dramatic Improvement in 2019

The Cardinals are unlikely to gain any ground in the NFC West. Arizona picked up two of their three wins last season against a hobbled San Francisco 49ers squad. However, the Niners are expected to improve on last season’s 4-12 record with a healthy Jimmy Garappolo.

Arizona picked up two of their three wins last season against a hobbled San Francisco 49ers squad.

In addition, there is little reason to expect the Cardinals to dramatically reverse their current four-game losing streak against Jared Goff and the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams, or reverse a lengthy stretch of losses to Russell Wilson and the perennially contending Seattle Seahawks, whom they have defeated in just six of 18 meetings.

Upcoming dates with opponents from the highly-competitive AFC North could spell additional trouble for the rebuilding squad.

NFC West quarterbacks next season ?

Seattle – Russell Wilson
S.F. – Jimmy Garoppolo
L.A. Rams – Jared Goff
Arizona – Kyler Murray#2019NFLdraft pic.twitter.com/Ui2DDN3NlX

— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 26, 2019

The Cardinals appear to be headed in the right direction, but patience remains key. With immediate expectations low, it remains wise to seek out the best value for those brave enough to wager on the Cardinals’ fortunes in 2019. A wager on Arizona to double their win total to six in 2019 is likely asking too much from a squad that has undergone such a major offseason overhaul.

That means a winning wager on the Cardinals finishing 2019 with UNDER 5.5 wins will pay out at -130 odds.

Pick: UNDER 5.5 games (-130)