Cardinals RB Conner: 'Nobody Believes in Us, But That's OK' After DeAndre Hopkins Cut

The Arizona Cardinals aren't looking like a team that's going to bounce back in 2023, but veteran running back James Conner says the franchise is ready to prove everyone wrong this year.

"Nobody believes in us, but that's OK," Conner said this week, per The Athletic's Doug Haller. "That's the exciting part. To prove people wrong."

The Cardinals finished the 2022 season fourth in the NFC West with a 4-13 record, though a lot of the team's issues stemmed from injuries and a six-game suspension served by star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to begin the year for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Arizona is slated to begin the 2023 campaign without star quarterback Kyler Murray, who suffered a torn ACL in a Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots last season. Additionally, the franchise just released Hopkins, only furthering the notion that another disappointing year is ahead.

Veteran Colt McCoy is slated to be the team's starting signal-caller come Week 1, throwing to a receiving group that includes Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Greg Dortch, Rondale Moore and Michael Wilson.

That's not an ideal group for the Cardinals, especially in a competitive division that includes the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. If the team is going to prove everyone wrong, it's probably going to take a miracle.