Is DeAndre Hopkins the Cardinals’ Savior? Kingsbury doesn’t Think So
The 2022-23 season is one that hasn’t lived up to the expectations many Cardinal fans had going into the season. They find themselves at 3-4 in a lackluster NFC West that is ripe for the taking. And while the Cardinals season has been a stinker thus far, Thursday night, Arizona got their superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins back from suspension — he hauled in 10 catches for 103 yards in his return.
Fans hope he can be the saving grace for an offense that has looked inept up to this point. However, head coach Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t share that optimism.
In a recent interview, Kingsbury told ESPN’s Ed Werner that Hopkins is not the “savior” for the team.
“We know he’s not the savior,” Kingsbury said. “We can’t expect the guy to come in after a year off and change everything for us, but it will definitely help after some of the struggles we’ve had offensively.”
Quote via Pro Football Talk
Hopkins made a great first impression with the Cardinals in his first year with them in 2020. He hauled in 115 catches for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns and helped evolve a Cardinals offense that was in much need of it. His 2021 season saw him deal with a plethora of injuries as he only recorded 42 catches for 572 yards but did have eight TDs.
Kingsbury hinted at giving up the offensive play-calling duty if it would help the team. However, at best, that won’t take effect until their Week 8 game — he will still call plays against the Saints.
Kingsbury made further comments about their offensive struggles saying:
“We know we have the ability to be good, we just haven’t put one together yet,” Kingsbury said.
Quote via Pro Football Talk
The person looking to most benefit from the addition is quarterback Kyler Murray who’s been struggling mightily in the absence of his superstar receiver.
This year, Murray has thrown only seven touchdowns to four interceptions, giving him a QBR of 48.4. And on the ground, he’s been far from his typical self, recording just 263 yards and two touchdowns. Which. for a quarterback, is far from bad but it’s also far from the explosiveness he usually displays.
While Murray and the Cardinals’ offense should benefit from the addition of the All-Pro receiver in Hopkins, the defense has been a huge issue, ranking 17th in yards allowed and 29th in points allowed. Such a display begs the question of just how much the addition of Hopkins will truly help this struggling Cardinals team.
At the very least, Hopkins’ return should help a struggling Murray as he looks to find his footing and lead his team to an NFC West title. And with the never-ending questions about his work ethic, a strong finish to the season could be just what he needs to finally silence those critics.
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