
Cardinals safety Budda Baker signs autographs after practice Saturday. Photo: Ross D. Franklin/AP
With training camp in full swing and the pre-season right around the corner, Arizona Cardinals fans are hoping 2022 will bring a stronger season and this time a longer playoff run.
State of play: The Cardinals have an impressive roster of talent but haven't been able to define themselves as serious championship contenders — yet.
What's new: The Cardinals lost linebackers Chandler Jones and Jordan Hicks and wide receiver Christian Kirk but otherwise retained most of their key players from last season.
- Wide receiver Marquise Brown, who played with quarterback Kyler Murray at Oklahoma, joined the Cards via trade from the Baltimore Ravens.
- The team also drafted tight end Trey McBride from Colorado State and defensive end Cameron Thomas of San Diego State.
1 bummer thing: Star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
- Hopkins maintains that he never took supplements and that it may have been a contaminant in shampoo or some other product he uses.
1 expensive thing: Murray, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, agreed to a contract extension worth up to $230 million last month.
- The contract initially required him to study film for four hours per week, but the team removed the "independent study" clause after it caused a public stir with analysts and former players calling it insulting.
Flashback: The Cardinals made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2015, but were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card game.
What he's saying: “It was probably good for us to feel that pain, that hurt, watching the game over and over again,” Murray told The Arizona Republic. “We can learn from it.”
Of note: This season's Super Bowl will be at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
- After never happening in the first 55, the host city's team has won the past two Super Bowls. Why not make it three years in a row?
Yes, but: Bookmakers aren't optimistic. Tipco Sportsbook puts the probability of the Cards winning the Super Bowl at a little more than 3%.

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