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WATCH: What will next year's Cards look like?

Posted at 3:31 PM, Jan 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-25 19:53:26-05

For better or worse, next year's Arizona Cardinals will have a different look from year's team that won a franchise-record 13 regular-season game and advanced to its second-ever NFC Championship game.

But that doesn't mean the Cards will need to rebuild in order to return to the playoffs in 2017, coach Bruce Arians said Monday.

Former Cardinals offensive lineman Brandon Keith, a member of the Cards' 2008 NFC Championship team, sees things the same way.

"They're going to be good. There are some good pieces here to be proud of and work with," Keith told ABC15 after the Cards' loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

First, there's the raw number of young, up-and-coming players on the team, led by rookie running back David Johnson, who became the first player in NFL history to score a rushing, receiving and kickoff-return touchdown in his first two games as a pro.

Johnson, who took over as the team's No. 1 back after veteran Chris Johnson suffered a season-ending injury, was the team's lone bright spot on Sunday: He racked up 128 total yards and a touchdown against Carolina.

And then, there's third-year safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was a bona fide Defensive Player of the Year until a fluke injury in Week 15 ended his season.

The Cardinals are expected to try to sign Mathieu to a long-term contract extension in the near future.

"You have David Johnson. You have the Honey Badger under contract for one more year. That's a great start, and we're not talking about guys (coach Bruce Arians) is going to bring in, whether that be through free agency or the draft to help this team," Keith said.

After quarterback Carson Palmer's awful night that included six turnovers, some are questioning whether the 13th-year pro can guide Arizona to that next step. On Monday, Arians said there's no doubt Palmer is capable of doing so, and he expects the former No. 1 pick to come back even stronger and hungrier next season.

Of course, next season's team will look different in multiple ways, as free agency and the NFL Draft change the look of all 32 teams from one year to the next. 

But Keith noted many of the Cardinals' core players will return, including a receiving unit that was among the NFL's best this season, thanks in part to the resurgence of 32-year-old future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.

"Larry improved his stock tremendously. His leadership has always been there, and the fact that he can really play the slot (receiver position), it gives time to grow for Michael Floyd and John Brown. And you've got (rookie receiver J.J. Nelson)," he said.

"There's still a lot of upside, still a lot of talent."