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Could Josh Fryar be the Cardinals' version of the Rams' Warren McClendon Jr.?                                                      photo courtesy of azcardinals.com By Walter Mitchell The Rams drafted Georgia tackle Warren McClendon Jr. in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kudos to Sean McVay and his coaches for how they develop their draft picks. McClendon is a special case. When perennial star RT Rob Havenstein was lost for the season, McClendon stepped in and absolutely shined. Games started: 13 (included 3 playoff games) Overall grade: 78.7 --- Pass Blocking: 69.1 --- Run Blocking: 81.9 Sacks: 2 --- 3 QB hits --- 23 QB pressures --- 1 penalty --- 97.5 PBLK EFF Warren McClendon's pass blocking efficiency of 97.5 was #1 in the NFC West and #14 in the NFL (for tackles with more than 10 starts). Charles Cross's #2 best in NFC West was 97.1 and #23 ove...
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Cardinals' HC, OC, DC, STC, and Top New Coaches: Advantages and Question Marks Getty Images By Walter Mitchell Head Coach Mike LaFleur Coaching Background Prior to his first head coaching role, LaFleur established himself as a prominent offensive mind under  Kyle Shanahan  and  Sean McVay :   Sports Illustrated  +4 Los Angeles Rams (2023–2025):  Served as offensive coordinator, helping lead the team to multiple playoff appearances and a 2025 NFC Championship appearance. New York Jets (2021–2022):  Offensive coordinator under Robert Saleh. San Francisco 49ers (2017–2020):  Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. Earlier NFL Stints:  Assistant roles with the  Atlanta Falcons  (2015–2016) and an internship with the  Cleveland Browns  (2014 Advantage: Keen insider knowledge of Kyle Shanahan's and Sean McVay's offenses, which can help prepare the team on both sides of the ball. Question mark: In Arizona, will Mike's ...
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