Ask Odegard: Has Paris Johnson Been Bad As a Rookie?

Thanks for stuffing the mailbag before stuffing your faces on Thanksgiving.

Plenty of topics to dive into, starting with a look at Paris Johnson’s rookie season.

Here we go.

“Why has Paris Johnson been so bad” – PRETTYMAMl_

“A lot of folks already asking the samish question, but would pjj be performing much better if he was moved back to left tackle?” – AZ Stan

why has pjj been just average at best this year. He has a 51.7 PFF grade and has had 9 penalties against him this year (tied for the second most in the league) and has allowed 4 sacks this year as well (tied for 16th most in the league)” – ayojstfu

“When will we have discussions about PJJ being a bust so far?” – Weter

KO: I did not expect to get four Paris Johnson questions in the mailbag, but apparently his play is on everyone’s minds. So first and foremost, I am far from an offensive line evaluator, and someone who crunches every snap on the All-22 would probably give a better answer.

But here’s my take: Johnson has a low PFF grade and has given up a few sacks, but judging him by those measures is taking a view that is too narrow. 

Johnson’s athleticism pops on tape, and it’s rare that he gets beat around the edge by pass-rushers. He also has ideal length, so all the tools are there for him to become a franchise tackle.

I agree that the sacks and penalties aren’t ideal, and from the tape I’ve seen, he can be susceptible to moves when the edge rusher dips inside.

But I think all that stuff is technique-based. We should be judging Johnson on a curve this season because he switched to right tackle amidst his jump to the NFL.

Has the rookie season been perfect? No, but he’s a toolsy player who has a ton of potential, and next year we will very likely start to see the dividends paying off.

“Thoughts on Marco Wilson?” – Alex

KO: I don’t think anyone ever saw him as a true No. 1 cornerback but it’s disappointing that he’s not even playing like a 2 or a 3. He has been one of the worst cover men in the NFL by any measure and, as I said on Sunday, there’s no real point in playing him any more.

Garrett Williams already looks like a stud and Kei’Trel Clark should get some more run down the stretch. We’ve seen enough of Marco.

“The draft is today. Stay at 2 or trade down with QB needy team. Thx.” – Andrew James

KO: It’s a no-brainer trade-down spot to me. The draft capital you’d get back in exchange for the right to draft Drake Maye will exceed the trade chart and will give Monti Ossenfort more ammunition in subsequent years.

Does that mean missing out on Marvin Harrison, Jr.? Potentially. The Patriots are at 3 right now and they could certainly be a suitor for the No. 2 pick, so that would be a prudent move.

But you glance around the top-10 and also see a team like the Falcons. They will be absolutely desperate to add a quarterback, and preying on that would be wise. 

If the Cardinals finish at 2 they will be in great position, and a trade-down is the clear play.

“You’re starting a nfl franchise, yet you have to pick Staley or Kingsbury to be head coach?” – Andrew J

KO: I guess Staley because then I could choose the offensive coordinator, find a genius and win multiple Super Bowls. (I would literally go onto the 49ers website and choose the position coach who has been with Kyle Shanahan the longest.)

“Best dish of Thanksgiving?” – Chase

KO: Dark turkey in mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. That counts as one dish because it’s Thanksgiving.

“Should we be concerned about JG becoming Brandon Staley in terms of chasing points too early in games? I understand there is a analytics % but is for example a 5% change in win percentage worth the potential risk in the 1st half? IMO collect points in Qtr 1-3 then deal with win %” – Thomas

KO: I’m always fine with it if he’s playing the percentages. If Kyler Murray gets a yard more on that two-point conversion attempt then it would have been lauded.

Hindsight also tells us that he could have kicked field goals against the Texans, but I didn’t have an issue with the aggressiveness there, either. C.J. Stroud was lighting it up and Gannon figured the Cardinals needed touchdowns to win. It was hard to forecast all those interceptions.

“I thought Leki played a nice game on Sunday. Is he a piece we can build around on the D-line?” – Jax

KO: He’s a rotational player, not someone who is a true building block. I’m more excited about Dante Stills, who really seems to be coming on of late. If B.J. Ojulari and Stills can strengthen that line, it puts Ossenfort in a much better spot heading into the offseason.

“What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?” – Daniel

KO: I’m not a huge dessert guy, and for like 10 straight Thanksgivings I didn’t eat any. But my sister-in-law is a really good cook and she had me try this made-from-scratch cheesecake a couple years ago. I was hooked. Been trying to make up for lost time ever since.

“What are your thoughts on the officiating situation that we see week to week? What is it that can be done? There are many reasons we lost Sunday, but officiating shouldn’t be one of them.” – New Football Guy

KO: There have been some brutal calls to go against the Cardinals in recent weeks. The turnover on the punt was unreal because it went to replay, where there was clear evidence 

It’s extremely goofy that officials are part-timers with day jobs much of the time. Why? The split-second calls are going to be tough either way, but reps would help.

"Thoughts on Hollywood? It has been only 2 weeks with K1 back but I think Hollywood would thrive as WR2 with someone like MHJr on the other side." -- Ryan

KO: They have been off and he’s a boom-or-bust player at times, but I think it will get noticeably better down the stretch. Hollywood isn’t a classic No. 1 receiver and, yeah, the Cardinals would definitely benefit from adding a guy like Marvin Harrison, who could play that DeAndre Hopkins role.

But I do think the production is going to improve. They have a good connection that hasn’t hit thus far.

“Do u think, bears stick with fields and take Marvin, or taking in the fact that only 2 teams in the top 4 picks need a qb so they take Marvin at 1 and are willing to take which ever of the top 2 qb prospects drops to them.” D_Reed96

KO: It’s too risky to take Marv and wait for a quarterback, because someone will jump up and grab one. If the Bears have the No. 1 overall pick I’d expect them to take Caleb Williams and then grab an edge rusher with their other top-5 pick.

“How do we overcome the losses of White and Fotu ? Will we pick anyone up or next man up?” – Tino

KO: No one of substance is going to be added at this point. As much as I clown on inside linebackers, Kyzir White has been very good for the Cardinals this year and his absence will be notable.

Arizona has the second-worst defense in the NFL this season and I don’t see it getting much better. There were way too many holes before these injuries.

“Do you feel Kyler has enough help?” – Wall

KO: They aren’t super far off but some upgrades are needed. Another wideout and a couple upgrades on the offensive line would have me feeling pretty good about the offense heading into 2024.

We’ve seen what this offense can do when Murray is protected. There were accuracy issues against the Texans but I don’t expect that to be an overarching theme. Kyler has been accurate throughout his career.

But yeah, if you look at the supporting casts of Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy or Dak Prescott, it's pretty clear the Cardinals need to give Kyler some more help.

“When do we extend mcbride and does ertz become te 2” – Charles Mendoza

KO: McBride can be extended after his third season, and he is only in Year 2. So we’ve got a little while, but yes, he has certainly turned into a major building block on offense. That’s an imperative development. If the Cardinals re-sign Hollywood Brown and can land Harrison in the draft, that’s a good skill group.

Yeah, Ertz is going to have a diminished role when he returns and then will almost certainly be released after the season.

“What’s better the rest of the way for the Cardinals - establishing a winning attitude or setting themselves up for a high draft pick?” – Ed Helinski

KO: Most people would probably say winning attitude, but I don’t care much about that. The higher draft pick is more important if it lands in the top-3.

But I will say this: developing an offensive identity and getting time on task with Kyler at quarterback is important, and that prerogative may result in a lower draft pick.

“Assuming the Cards can and will trade Murray in the off-season, what is a realistic return in draft picks compensation that they can get for him?” – Yoda’s Pet Llama

KO: Quite the assumption there and I currently peg those chances at about 2%, but I’ll entertain the question, Yoda’s Pet Llama. 

There has been speculation about whether his contract is tradeable, but that’s laughable. The team that gets him would have a very reasonable franchise quarterback contract on their hands for the next several years, so the Cardinals would likely get a first-round pick for Kyler.

But again, not gonna happen.

“Again?” – Craig Morgan, award-winning NHL writer

KO: Great question, Craig. Yes, this is a weekly mailbag in which I elicit queries weekly.

"Hottest take on Thanksgiving food?” – Donnie Druin

KO: Cranberry sauce is the worst and there is no need for this charade to continue. We have plenty of other food. Stop making it.

“How many weeks does Kyler get the "hes just getting back from injury" excuse? I mean throwing a duck in to the ground when the receiver is wide open 5 yards away should not get that excuse but the Kyler lovers are blaming rust…” – AZReaper

KO: Definitely some poor throws in that game. No denying that. 

I do like that his yards per attempt through two games is nine percent better than an average NFL quarterback at 7.5, and that he’s averaging 42 rushing yards per game at 6.5 yards per carry, and that despite all the issues against Houston, he finished No. 12 among 29 NFL quarterbacks in Total QBR in Week 11, ahead of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen and others.

Looking forward to what he will do when there is no more rust.