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The Arizona Cardinals continue to load up with future Hall of Fame talent. Approximately two weeks after bringing J.J. Watt to the desert, the team is now set to add veteran wideout A.J. Green to the team’s receiving arsenal.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two parties are finalizing a one-year contract that includes $6 million guaranteed.
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Has A.J. Green Fallen Off?
The former No. 4 overall pick out of the prolific 2011 receiver draft class that also produced Julio Jones, Green has spent the past 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, cementing himself as an all-time franchise great. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Green has amassed 649 receptions, 9,430 receiving yards and 65 receiving touchdowns during his decade-plus in Ohio.
Unfortunately, numerous injuries over the past few seasons have somewhat derailed his surefire Hall of Fame trajectory. A toe injury suffered in 2018 limited Green to just nine games. The following training camp, Green suffered a torn ligament in his ankle that led to him missing the entire 2019 season.
The South Carolina native did return to the Bengals lineup in 2020, appearing in all 16 games (14 starts). However, he did not look like his typical dominant self that we’ve grown so used to seeing over the years. Green totaled just 47 receptions for 523 yards and two touchdowns — all of which marked career-lows. This dip in production came despite seeing 104 targets come his way (third-most amongst all Bengals players). According to ESPN Stats and Information, Green’s 43.9% reception to target percentage was the lowest of any qualifying Bengals receiver this past season.
Can Green Be Cardinals’ No. 2 WR?
That’s likely the mindset behind the move. It’s clear Arizona is thinking win-now, their roster moves throughout the offseason point to just that.
If this deal happened just a few seasons back, you’d likely have people around the league pulling the David Stern-Chris Paul card on competitive balance. While a Green-DeAndre Hopkins duo may no longer strike nearly as much fear into the souls of oppositions, the upside is still there.
The Cardinals absolutely fleeced the Texans in a trade approximately one-year ago to acquire the services of Hopkins. The superstar receiver quickly outplayed his trade price, finishing 2020 ranked third in the NFL in both receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,407). Yet, there was a sizeable dropoff from Hopkins to the next Cardinals receiver.
Christian Kirk was the team’s second-leading receiver on the season. Lauded as a potential breakout candidate, the Texas A&M product saw a dip in production from his 709-yard, 13 game campaign of 2019. Across a 14-game slate in 2020, Kirk mustered up just 48 receptions for 621 receiving yards.
In reality, kicking the versatile Kirk down in the pecking order and allowing him to man a more Curtis Samuel-like hybrid role within the offense may prove beneficial to both him and the Cardinals.
As for Green, if he can at least shift some of the focus off of Hopkins in the passing game, it should be chalked up as a win for Arizona. While he may have lost a step over the years, the addition of a legitimate signal-caller and the potential of being part of a winning franchise for really the first time in his career could be enough to unleash the A.J. Green we all remember.
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