The Cardinals re-signed A.J. Green last week. We had fun ripping Green here last year, given how awful his last couple of seasons were in Cincinnati. But to his credit, he wound up bouncing back nicely with Kyler Murray and company.
One popular stat for receiver efficiency these days is yards per target, showing how many yards each pass thrown to a receiver -- completed or incomplete -- results in, on average. Unsurprisingly, three of the very best receivers in this regard last year, among wideouts with at least 90 targets, were arguably the three best receivers in the league: Deebo, Chase, Kupp. But also showing up in the top 8, just ahead of Davante Adams, was Green, averaging 9.2 yards per target.
It's noteworthy in part because in 2020, Green was at the very bottom of the list -- his 5.0 yards per target was the worst figure in the league, just over half of what he finished at in 2021. Quite a one-year turnaround.
WR YARDS PER TARGET, 2020-2021 (90-PLUS) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Tgt | No | Yds | Avg | TD | Y/Tgt |
2021 | Deebo Samuel | 121 | 77 | 1405 | 18.3 | 6 | 11.6 |
2021 | JaMarr Chase | 128 | 81 | 1455 | 18.0 | 13 | 11.4 |
2020 | Justin Jefferson | 125 | 88 | 1400 | 15.9 | 7 | 11.2 |
2021 | Tyler Lockett | 107 | 73 | 1175 | 16.1 | 8 | 11.0 |
2020 | Corey Davis | 92 | 65 | 984 | 15.1 | 5 | 10.7 |
2021 | Cooper Kupp | 191 | 145 | 1947 | 13.4 | 16 | 10.2 |
2020 | A.J. Brown | 106 | 70 | 1075 | 15.4 | 11 | 10.1 |
2020 | DJ Moore | 118 | 66 | 1193 | 18.1 | 4 | 10.1 |
2020 | DK Metcalf | 129 | 83 | 1303 | 15.7 | 10 | 10.1 |
2021 | Tee Higgins | 110 | 74 | 1091 | 14.7 | 6 | 9.9 |
2021 | Justin Jefferson | 167 | 108 | 1616 | 15.0 | 10 | 9.7 |
2020 | Brandin Cooks | 119 | 81 | 1150 | 14.2 | 6 | 9.7 |
2020 | Calvin Ridley | 143 | 90 | 1374 | 15.3 | 9 | 9.6 |
2021 | Christian Kirk | 103 | 77 | 982 | 12.8 | 5 | 9.5 |
2020 | Tyreek Hill | 135 | 87 | 1276 | 14.7 | 15 | 9.5 |
2020 | Stefon Diggs | 166 | 127 | 1535 | 12.1 | 8 | 9.2 |
2020 | Mike Evans | 109 | 70 | 1006 | 14.4 | 13 | 9.2 |
2020 | Davante Adams | 149 | 115 | 1374 | 12.0 | 18 | 9.2 |
2021 | A.J. Green | 92 | 54 | 848 | 15.7 | 3 | 9.2 |
2021 | Davante Adams | 169 | 123 | 1553 | 12.6 | 11 | 9.2 |
2021 | CeeDee Lamb | 120 | 79 | 1102 | 14.0 | 6 | 9.2 |
2021 | Mike Evans | 114 | 74 | 1035 | 14.0 | 14 | 9.1 |
2020 | Cole Beasley | 107 | 82 | 967 | 11.8 | 4 | 9.0 |
2021 | Mike Williams | 129 | 76 | 1146 | 15.1 | 9 | 8.9 |
2021 | Tyler Boyd | 94 | 67 | 828 | 12.4 | 5 | 8.8 |
2021 | DeVonta Smith | 104 | 64 | 916 | 14.3 | 5 | 8.8 |
2020 | DeAndre Hopkins | 160 | 115 | 1407 | 12.2 | 6 | 8.8 |
2020 | Curtis Samuel | 97 | 77 | 851 | 11.1 | 3 | 8.8 |
2021 | Chris Godwin | 127 | 98 | 1103 | 11.3 | 5 | 8.7 |
2020 | Amari Cooper | 130 | 92 | 1114 | 12.1 | 5 | 8.6 |
2020 | Adam Thielen | 108 | 74 | 925 | 12.5 | 14 | 8.6 |
2020 | Marvin Jones | 115 | 76 | 978 | 12.9 | 9 | 8.5 |
2020 | CeeDee Lamb | 111 | 74 | 935 | 12.6 | 5 | 8.4 |
2020 | Tee Higgins | 108 | 67 | 908 | 13.6 | 6 | 8.4 |
2021 | Michael Pittman | 129 | 88 | 1082 | 12.3 | 6 | 8.4 |
2020 | Terry McLaurin | 134 | 87 | 1118 | 12.9 | 4 | 8.3 |
2021 | Amari Cooper | 104 | 68 | 865 | 12.7 | 8 | 8.3 |
2020 | Jarvis Landry | 101 | 72 | 840 | 11.7 | 3 | 8.3 |
2020 | Allen Robinson | 151 | 102 | 1250 | 12.3 | 6 | 8.3 |
2021 | A.J. Brown | 105 | 63 | 869 | 13.8 | 5 | 8.3 |
2020 | T.Y. Hilton | 93 | 56 | 762 | 13.6 | 5 | 8.2 |
2021 | Russell Gage | 94 | 66 | 770 | 11.7 | 4 | 8.2 |
2021 | Chase Claypool | 105 | 59 | 860 | 14.6 | 2 | 8.2 |
2021 | Hunter Renfrow | 128 | 103 | 1038 | 10.1 | 9 | 8.1 |
2021 | Terry McLaurin | 130 | 77 | 1053 | 13.7 | 5 | 8.1 |
2020 | Robby Anderson | 136 | 95 | 1096 | 11.5 | 3 | 8.1 |
2020 | Michael Gallup | 105 | 59 | 843 | 14.3 | 5 | 8.0 |
2020 | Chase Claypool | 109 | 62 | 873 | 14.1 | 9 | 8.0 |
2020 | Tyler Lockett | 132 | 100 | 1054 | 10.5 | 10 | 8.0 |
2021 | Courtland Sutton | 98 | 58 | 776 | 13.4 | 2 | 7.9 |
2020 | Cooper Kupp | 124 | 92 | 974 | 10.6 | 3 | 7.9 |
2020 | Darius Slayton | 96 | 50 | 751 | 15.0 | 3 | 7.8 |
2021 | Tyreek Hill | 159 | 111 | 1239 | 11.2 | 9 | 7.8 |
2020 | Brandon Aiyuk | 96 | 60 | 748 | 12.5 | 5 | 7.8 |
2021 | Brandin Cooks | 134 | 90 | 1037 | 11.5 | 6 | 7.7 |
2020 | DeVante Parker | 103 | 63 | 793 | 12.6 | 4 | 7.7 |
2020 | Marquise Brown | 100 | 58 | 769 | 13.3 | 8 | 7.7 |
2021 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | 119 | 90 | 912 | 10.1 | 5 | 7.7 |
2020 | Tyler Boyd | 110 | 79 | 841 | 10.7 | 4 | 7.6 |
2021 | Adam Thielen | 95 | 67 | 726 | 10.8 | 10 | 7.6 |
2020 | DJ Chark | 93 | 53 | 706 | 13.3 | 5 | 7.6 |
2020 | Jerry Jeudy | 113 | 52 | 856 | 16.5 | 3 | 7.6 |
2021 | Darnell Mooney | 140 | 81 | 1055 | 13.0 | 4 | 7.5 |
2021 | DK Metcalf | 129 | 75 | 967 | 12.9 | 12 | 7.5 |
2021 | Stefon Diggs | 164 | 103 | 1225 | 11.9 | 10 | 7.5 |
2020 | Sterling Shepard | 90 | 66 | 656 | 9.9 | 3 | 7.3 |
2020 | Robert Woods | 129 | 90 | 936 | 10.4 | 6 | 7.3 |
2021 | Jaylen Waddle | 140 | 104 | 1015 | 9.8 | 6 | 7.3 |
2021 | Keenan Allen | 157 | 106 | 1138 | 10.7 | 6 | 7.2 |
2020 | Russell Gage | 109 | 72 | 786 | 10.9 | 4 | 7.2 |
2021 | DJ Moore | 163 | 93 | 1157 | 12.4 | 4 | 7.1 |
2021 | Marvin Jones | 120 | 73 | 832 | 11.4 | 4 | 6.9 |
2021 | Marquise Brown | 146 | 91 | 1008 | 11.1 | 6 | 6.9 |
2021 | Jakobi Meyers | 126 | 83 | 866 | 10.4 | 2 | 6.9 |
2021 | Diontae Johnson | 169 | 107 | 1161 | 10.9 | 8 | 6.9 |
2020 | Keenan Allen | 147 | 100 | 992 | 9.9 | 8 | 6.7 |
2020 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 128 | 97 | 831 | 8.6 | 9 | 6.5 |
2020 | Darnell Mooney | 98 | 61 | 631 | 10.3 | 4 | 6.4 |
2020 | Diontae Johnson | 144 | 88 | 923 | 10.5 | 7 | 6.4 |
2021 | Laviska Shenault | 100 | 63 | 619 | 9.8 | 0 | 6.2 |
2021 | Cole Beasley | 112 | 82 | 693 | 8.5 | 1 | 6.2 |
2020 | A.J. Green | 104 | 47 | 523 | 11.1 | 2 | 5.0 |
2021 | Robby Anderson | 110 | 53 | 519 | 9.8 | 5 | 4.7 |
Some other interesting things from the table. One is that Green's teammate Christian Kirk was also very good in this regard last year (9.6), a little better than Green. So contract-seeking Murray, and the offense itself, deserve some credit in coaxing that performance out of Green. Kirk is in Jacksonville now, so presumably a few more chances for Green, and also a popular breakout choice in second-year wideout Rondale Moore.
The only guy worse than Green's 2020 performance over the last two seasons -- the only wide receiver within a yard of Green, in fact -- was Robby Anderson last year. The same Anderson who was in the news last week for ripping Baker Mayfield after the report that the Panthers were considered the front-runner to add the Cleveland quarterback. Does Anderson really want another year of Sam Darnold? Things could only be better, at least based on his 2021.
Back to Green. I wouldn't say his performance a year ago makes him a desirable target in fantasy leagues. He caught only 3 TDs, with a particularly memorable, game-losing missed connection at one point. And Murray himself apparently won't be playing this year without a new contract.
But the Cardinals either will or at least should work out the Murray situation. And with Kirk gone, Green might well be the No. 2 in the passing game, much as many want to believe it will be Moore. The veteran looks very much like late-round selection with a good chance to outperform that. Not washed-up after all.
--Andy Richardson