Cardinals receivers’ varying skill sets give Drew Petzing options

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals’ receivers room has been one of the franchise’s biggest positional overhauls this offseason.

There are more mouths to feed entering Year 2 under the new regime, with No. 4 overall pick and projected No. 1 option Marvin Harrison Jr. headlining a rebuilding project that includes returners Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch alongside veteran newcomer Zay Jones.

Each of them brings something different, from Harrison’s abilities deep to Dortch’s quickness outside of the slot.

And that’s not to mention third-year pro tight end Trey McBride, who is poised to see his fair share of targets after a breakout 2023 campaign.

It’s a good problem for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterback Kyler Murray.

“We’re going to ask the league for two footballs at any time,” Petzing said of Tuesday’s wide receiver room. “It’s a variety of skills. These are guys that do things well, so it allows us to be multiple and allows us to attack defenses in different ways.

“You never know exactly, week in and week out, where the weakness is and where you’re going to have to exploit it. If everybody’s doing one thing really well and it’s not the game of the week, it’s hard to adjust. I think that’s definitely going to be a part of who we are and definitely a part of who we always want to be in every facet.

As for feelings potentially being hurt by sharing targets or snaps, Petzing does not consider this to be a detrimental factor to the overall cohesion of the unit. The diva counter in the Arizona WR room appears to be at an all-time low. The bond that forms between Harrison and Wilson is a good example of this.

It’s a nod to the mentality that general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon seek and demand from their players at all levels.

“The focus will always be on winning. This will never change,” Petzing said. “If that’s your No. 1 goal: At the end of the day we win and do the things to put ourselves in position, the guys will be happy to be here and happy to contribute. Of course, big players want the ball. You want them to want the ball.

“I’ve been around guys who always wanted the ball, not necessarily because they’re selfish, but they thought that was the best way to win. You want those players, you want those guys on the roster. … I think, given the character of the guys we have in the room, I don’t really worry about that.”

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