Las Vegas Raiders center Rodney Hudson (61) during a game between the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders on September 27, 2020, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The free agency gave the Cardinals something they really needed, something the Valley hadn’t seen in a long time:
Victory in an unmissable game.
The tone of the NFL’s off-season changed dramatically in Arizona on Wednesday, from menacing to optimistic.
JJ Watt and AJ Green are the big name acquisitions, even though their low-fuel lights are about to come on. Markus Golden and Kelvin Beachum were quality retentions, trustworthy players who seemed very happy and approachable.
But switching to the Rodney Hudson center is a truly masterful blow. He is an elite veteran striker. Their analyzes are absurd. Since 2015, he has played nearly 3,500 pass-through snaps and allowed only one sack. All three of his Pro Bowl appearances have taken place in the past five seasons, the sign of a player entrenched at his peak.
All three of Arizona’s acquisitions – Hudson, Watt and Green – were team captains in 2020. This will help to promote a better leadership culture in locker rooms. Watt and Hudson will help the Cardinals to increase their level of physicality in both lines of scrimmage, a glaring weakness in the 2020 team.
But the Hudson acquisition will resonate across the franchise for different reasons, because it directly affects five other players, perhaps more. This will benefit everyone on the offensive line because a starting point is the whole unit’s brain / computer processor. Mistakes made in this position can condemn a move before it starts, as we saw many times in 2020.
Most importantly, it will help Kyler Murray’s development at a key point in the franchise’s history. To put it in context, it is as if the Suns added Chris Paul to play as a point guard, fully aware that he will also increase Devin Booker and possibly ignite Deandre Ayton’s potential.
Murray learned many lessons in two years. This is obvious. He developed some bad habits. He won awards. He was given an arduous task: he handed over the keys to a sports car as soon as he obtained his driver’s license. It has grown significantly. But the biggest steps are yet to come.
Hudson will help Murray identify pass rushers and defensive tactics. This will make Murray feel better about his job. Hudson will help mitigate the aggressors in the middle, like Rams star Aaron Donald. It comes at a time when the franchise still has two years of control over Murray, including a $ 23 million team option in year 5, which is likely to seem like a big bargain.
Hudson will help build confidence and help build a real pocket for the sometimes skittish quarterback, the kind he remembers when playing at the University of Oklahoma, creating the comfort zone that will be essential for his evolution.
Murray must do his part. He must embrace the defender’s game in the center, even if he feels like a visitor in Muir Woods. This will unlock a whole new world of bootlegs, releases and play-action pieces. Murray must plant his feet firmly on the ground below him and examine the field with conviction, training his eyes to remain fixed on the secondary. This will not happen if he feels threatened or vulnerable.
Conclusion: Hudson will help Murray solve the most pressing problem facing the organization. At the very least, it proves that the Cardinals are focusing on the right things:
That is, a quarterback with explosive speed and a superstar skill set. A player who made it very clear that he does not like to be hit; he doesn’t like to play hurt; and does not always show a passionate love for football. Yes, sorry, A’s hats are not helping.
But if Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury keep their jobs and Arizona survive and thrive in a loaded division, that’s because Murray will make another quantum leap in 2021. Because Keim was smart enough to invest in the comfort zone of his tiny quarterback above all else. , in the middle of an NFC West arms race.