When the Chicago Bears host the Arizona Cardinals, they will be taking on a young team on the rise. The record does not indicate it, but the Cardinals are getting stronger contributions from a few of their younger assets.
Since the rest of the Bears season will be about the future, who are some Arizona Cardinals that could be big names in the next season or two when the Bears start to hit their stride?
3. The Chicago Bears are going to struggle with Trey McBride
The Chicago Bears have been a lot better in recent weeks, but they are still one of the worst defenses against the tight end on the season. Trey McBride is going to give this team a major test on Sunday.
McBride started the season behind Zach Ertz, but when Ertz was injured in week eight, he took off. Since week eight, Trey McBride ranks first in catches amongst tight ends but second in yards and yards per route run behind George Kittle.
He is averaging 7.3 catches per game for 77.4 yards per game since week eight. He is on an insane run, and it looks legitimate. He has made big-time catches, hauling in eight of his ten contested targets. Still, he can also work after the catch.
McBride not only has more yards than Cole Kmet this year on fewer starts, but he also has more yards in his second NFL season than Cole Kmet has ever had in his career. It helps that the targets around him are thin, but McBride is a threat in all areas. The Chicago Bears' defense is prone to issues here, and it will be on Jaquan Brisker and Tremaine Edmunds to show that they are playing better and can defend the second-year breakout player.
2. The Arizona Cardinals found an edge rusher to harass the Chicago Bears
The Arizona Cardinals appear to have found a gem in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft with B.J. Ojulari. Ojulari was picked 41st overall and had a lot of buzz around the first round of the draft. He slid to Arizona, and it has paid off so far.
It took Ojulari some time to get accustomed to his role, but since week 10 he has thrived. He has played over 50% of the defensive snaps in every game since week 10, after not playing more than half of the snaps in any of the first nine weeks.
Ojulari has had 10 of his 17 pressures this season since week 10, and he is fifth amongst rookies in pressures over that time span. Ojulari also ranks first amongst rookies in pass rush win rate right now, showing that he was producing earlier on fewer snaps, and now he has taken advantage of the snap increase.
Ojulari has rushed against both left and right tackles this year. This will be a test for Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, as well as a look into what this rusher can do at the NFL level moving forward.
1. The Arizona Cardinals rookie slot cornerback is ascending
The Arizona Cardinals appear to have found something with B.J. Ojulari in the second round, and their third-round rookie Garrett Williams is starting to show something as well. Williams fell to the third round almost solely because of an ACL injury; otherwise, he would have been viewed higher.
So, while that was always a risk, and he sat out the first six weeks of this season, he came back in week seven and has been a value draft pick since then. Williams has manned the slot for all eight games since his return. He has not been a complete shutdown player, but in a secondary with almost no week-to-week stability, he finally brought some.
Williams has squared up with receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Nelson Agholor, Cedric Tillman, Drake London, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Jajuan Jennings. Now, he will get Darnell Mooney in week 15.
For Mooney, it will be another test and a chance for him to rebound against a rookie. For the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals, they get a good look into what the future can hold for the rookie cornerback.