With the NFL season getting started in less than a month, all the prognostication and debate have centered on which teams can win the Super Bowl and how high their ceilings are. Conversely, down at the bottom of the NFL, all the hopes lie in the 2027 NFL Draft and the potential of adding players like Texas QB Arch Manning, Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith or South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart. However, I'm in the business of optimism, and having been through a lot of bad Jacksonville Jaguars seasons, there are hopeful things you can pull from the muck and mire of a lost season.
So, using DraftKings Sportsbook Super Bowl odds, we're going to highlight the six teams with the lowest Super Bowl odds, and give out one reason for optimism and hope among what could be a lost season. Now, there's not a lot that's going well for the Cardinals, especially being in a division with the defending Super Bowl champions and the favorites to win the whole thing this season. Despite that, I do think that there's some young talent on the Cardinals' roster that's just waiting to grow and develop with another year in the NFL under their belt.
Offensively, head coach/primary playcaller Mike LaFleur inherited a group that is talented but inconsistent in major spots. While the group won't have promising rookie guard Chase Bisontis for the whole season (torn MCL) and first-round RB Jeremiyah Love is currently injured (high ankle sprain), count me as someone who is. … curious about their offense going into the season. Last year, I thought the Cardinals' offense had a good foundation, but it was too static and asked their guys to just go and win on islands.
Their motion rate of 43.9% was 30th in the NFL, despite being 12th in Offensive Success Rate when a player goes in motion. Now, I'm not of the belief that adding motion into every offense is some magical "Football Flex Seal" that'll make your offense shine, but it will give players such as WRs Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson a much easier chance of creating space, while giving your QB easier answers to the test. It'll especially help Harrison, who is a smooth mover and glider when defensive backs can't get their hands on him at the line of scrimmage.
LaFleur using more motion and easier ways of getting his young stars the ball should help them grow in a big way, and that's exciting for 2026. Flipping it, I think the defense has talent in important spots when healthy. DT Walter Nolen III is a game wrecker with his speed and explosiveness, and CB Will Johnson had promising moments, but neither player can stay healthy for long (Nolen played in six games and Johnson played in 12).
If you get healthy years from those two, combined with quality reps from EDGE Josh Sweat, CB Garrett Williams and S Budda Baker, you get a fun core that should be built around moving forward. The 2026 Miami Dolphins should be a pain in the butt for backside EDGEs to defend. New offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik goes about his business differently than former playcaller Mike McDaniel, but both come from the same San Francisco tree, where forcing defenses into base defense via heavy personnel is the way to go.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
