The Cardinals have some holes to fill on offense for next season, but the premium positions seem to be in excellent hands. Pro Football Focus’ end-of-year grades are in, and it's a trio of cornerstone players on that side of the ball who led the way in 2020.
No. 1 grade on the Cardinals: Left tackle D.J. Humphries (88.3)
The former first-round pick had a slow start to his career, but played well enough in 2019 to garner a three-year, $43.8 million contract extension. Humphries was a bargain in the first year of that deal in 2020, as he finished with the best PFF grade on the team and the fifth-highest mark among offensive tackles. Humphries allowed three sacks in 695 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF, and had a run-blocking grade of 90.8, which was third-best among tackles.
No. 2: Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (87.1)
It's no surprise to see Hopkins with an elite grade, as he remains one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He finished third in the league with 1,407 receiving yards, regularly showing off his elite hands and yards-after-catch ability. Hopkins had the seventh-highest PFF grade among receivers, behind Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs, Allen Robinson and Adam Thielen.
No. 3: Quarterback Kyler Murray (82.8)
Pro Football Focus thought Murray made major strides from his rookie season to Year 2. Even though Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, his PFF grade was only 64.2. It skyrocketed this year, as Murray was given a solid 77.2 passing grade and an elite 86.5 rushing grade. Murray finished No. 11 among quarterbacks, ahead of Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and Drew Brees, among others.
No. 4: Safety Budda Baker (75.3)
It's no surprise to see Baker finish with the top defensive grade on the team. The Pro Bowler graded out nicely in all three phases– against the run, rushing the passer and in coverage – to cap another strong season. It was the highest grade of his four-year career.
No. 5: Outside linebacker Haason Reddick (72.8)
Reddick finished tied for fourth in the NFL with 12½ sacks, and while that stat doesn't always tell the full story of a player, PFF agreed that he had a nice year. Reddick earned a pass-rush grade of 82.6, as he finished with 57 total pressures in addition to the sacks. Reddick had below average PFF grades in each of his first three seasons, but the move to edge rusher unlocked his potential.
Honorable mention: Outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck (89.6)
Gardeck was only on the field for 94 defensive snaps, so it wouldn't be fair to place him higher than those who played more than 1,000, but the production was off the charts. Gardeck finished with seven sacks, which was only a half-sack less than Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa, Bradley Chubb and Chase Young this year. His pass-rush win percentage of 25.3% was higher than Aaron Donald.
