After waiting until Feb. 14 to find a head coach, the Cardinals are wasting no time filling out their top coordinator roles.
Arizona is hiring Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing as its new offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Sunday morning, per sources.
Petzing, 35, has familiarity with Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon from working together on the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff from 2014-17, where Gannon served as assistant defensive backs coach and Petzing began as an offensive assistant before becoming the team’s assistant wide receivers coach in 2016.
Petzing spent two more seasons with Minnesota after Gannon departed the staff. He held the role of assistant QBs coach in 2018 and was promoted to WRs coach in 2019.
He then joined the Cleveland Browns in 2020, the organization he began his NFL career with as a football operations intern in 2013, to coach the club’s tight ends.
Petzing’s position group shined under his tutelage. Of the four Browns players that caught three or more touchdowns in 2021, three were tight ends — David Njoku, Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant.
The success led to Petzing’s promotion to quarterbacks coach in 2022, and now his offensive coordinator position with Arizona heading into the 2023 season.
He’ll face the task of rectifying an offense that took a massive step back during a surprising 4-13 season. The unit ranked 21st in points scored and 22nd in yards, both its worst marks since quarterback Kyler Murray’s rookie campaign.
If the Cardinals are to return to the postseason after a one-year hiatus, they’ll do so with an entirely new group leading the way. Following the hiring of Monti Ossenfort as general manager on Jan. 16 and tabbing Gannon as head coach on Tuesday, Arizona used Saturday to hire defensive coordinator Nick Rallis ahead of Petzing’s Sunday addition.
