Reflecting on the biggest x factor for the Cardinals
By: Jake Rajala
The Arizona Cardinals are widely ranked as the worst NFC West team. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams competed in the NFC Championship game last seasoon. Obviously, the Hawks were world champions. As for the San Francisco 49ers, they were 7-2 when Brock Purdy was healthy.
The Cardinals need x factors for the squad to step up. The biggest x factor for the team has to be the wide receiver Michael Wilson. He is the WR2 and he’s also 26 years old. In other words, he still has a few seasons left in him.
Wilson unleashed 1,006 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last seasons. His yard mark was 17th among WRs. PFF gave him a score of 76.4. This was 26th among WRs. It should be noted that he had 548 yards in 2025. Hence, there’s real growth going on there.
Wilson will have plenty of opportunities at WR, with help from defenses focusing on Marvin Harrison Jr and Trey McBride. Harrison Jr. is a Pro Bowl-caliber WR and McBride is an All-Pro caliber TE. Sadly, the days of Larry Fitzerald are gone, so they need to really have more than one weapon.
Wilson can’t be the only x factor on the squad. Tyler Allgeier is infamous for never fumbling in his career, is the second string RB. We don’t have a huge samply size of Jeremiyuh Love, so Tyler play a lot early on.
Another x-factor has to be Carson Beck. Sure, Jacoby Brissett is my fantasy QB. He will also likely start the season. I still wouldn’t be surprised if Beck replaced Brissett at some point in the season. After all, Brissett won one game last season.
The Cardinals have modest depth at WR and RB. Some teams try to be well-rounded, while other teams really lean on 1-2 weapons. The Cardinals fit into the first category I listed.
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