Arizona Cardinals DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Jacksonville Jaguars released veteran wide receiver Zay Jones on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Despite the team selecting Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, this is somewhat of a surprising move. Jacksonville lost Calvin Ridley to the Titans this offseason, so depth behind Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and Thomas Jr. is looking thin. However, it's worth noting veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry is trying out for the Jaguars, so this could hint at his potential signing. After an 823-yard season in 2022, Jones battled injuries in 2023 and caught just 34 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Given the importance of the wideout spot in today's NFL, he should have a decent market for his services. The 29-year-old has hauled in 287 passes for 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns in 104 career games.

The Cardinals selected University of Illinois tight end Tip Reiman with the No. 82 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played four years at Illinois, totaling 420 yards and five touchdowns off 41 catches. While the 22-year-old has plenty of positive attributes, he wasn't as productive at the collegiate level as others in his class. With that said, Reiman will have a chance to carve out playing time in Arizona, a team in a transition phase. However, he'll need to compete for snaps with Trey McBride, one of the league's emerging tight ends.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Florida State running back Trey Benson with the 66th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Benson could be the most complete running back in the draft class. He excelled at breaking tackles, setting the single-season FBS record by forcing 0.51 missed tackles per run. The 21-year-old also possesses great breakaway speed with 14 runs of 20 or more yards (ninth in FBS). Last season, Benson ran for 906 yards on the ground and 227 through the air and 15 total scores. He will join veteran James Connor, who could limit his fantasy value early on, but he should be an early second-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who was taken third overall in this year's NFL draft by the New England Patriots on Thursday night, will initially compete with veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting job in 2024. The Patriots also have former fourth-rounder Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke on their QB depth chart. "To go back to Bill [Belichick's philosophy], I don't think many rookies are ready to just jump in and play," first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said. "At the end of the day, our philosophy is the best players will play. We will compete and the best player will start." The 21-year-old started 26 games over the last two years for the Tar Heels and threw for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Maye was more productive in 2022 and has plenty to work on. Meanwhile, he has a pretty weak supporting cast in the receiver room, so fantasy managers taking the leap on him in dynasty/keeper leagues will want to be patient.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. With no other team trading up with the Cardinals to make it four straight quarterbacks in a row to start this year's draft, the Cardinals will give QB Kyler Murray a big-time new receiving weapon in Harrison. It makes sense after the team lost Marquise Brown this offseason. Harrison is an absolute stud at the position and should immediately be Arizona's best wideout in his rookie year alongside names like Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Chris Moore. Harrison was a unanimous two-time All-American and scored 28 total touchdowns the last two years. He's bigger than his father and has incredible body control. Harrison should be fantasy relevant in Year 1 while being peppered with targets by Murray.