Locked On Cardinals host Alex Clancy argued that Arizona wide receiver Michael Wilson should become the offense’s focal point, saying Wilson should receive 15 targets per game as the team searches for a way to survive without left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (biceps). Johnson tore his left biceps against the New York Giants on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.
Clancy’s call is not simply about feeding Wilson underneath. He wants the Cardinals to use their best available skill players without rigid roles, push the ball farther downfield and build a more aggressive weekly plan around the receivers and tight ends producing most consistently.
Wilson’s potential workload matters because Clancy sees Arizona’s offense as too static and too dependent on short plays. He urged the coaching staff to move Wilson between outside and slot alignments, pair him with tight end Trey McBride and make opponents defend more of the field rather than settling into predictable concepts.
Clancy also said the Cardinals should be willing to alter wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s snap load if Wilson, McBride and Kendrick Bourne give the offense a better chance to score. That is an opinion, not a reported depth-chart change, but it illustrates how quickly the discussion has shifted from preserving established roles to finding the most productive combination.
The injury to Johnson raises the stakes for that approach. Arizona’s official depth chart listed Jon Gaines II as a reserve at both guard and center before Johnson’s injury, while the club now faces Detroit on Sunday without its starting left tackle and with right guard Isaiah Adams (ankle) likely unavailable.
The Lions offer an immediate test of whether Clancy’s prescription can work. The Cardinals do not need Wilson to literally reach 15 targets for the larger point to hold: An offense dealing with protection questions may need to make its most reliable pass-catchers the weekly priority, rather than waiting for every receiver role to sort itself out.
Arizona’s next game will show whether Wilson’s expanded usage becomes a real adjustment or remains a talking point after another difficult offensive performance.
Cardinals News and Notes
– Clancy said quarterback Jacoby Brissett remains Arizona’s best current option and argued that one pick-six should not force an immediate change. He projected that the organization could reconsider the position after the upcoming stretch, but said replacing Brissett with Gardner Minshew II now would not solve the larger problem.
– Clancy questioned whether defensive play-caller Nick Rallis is ready for the job after Arizona’s recent defensive struggles. He also said he would not make a midseason play-calling handoff to Teryl Austin, describing that type of change as unnecessarily complicated.
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