3 players who will have the biggest impact on the Cardinals' season

Each week, theScore will go division by division, highlighting which three players' performances will most impact their team's season in 2017.

Robert Nkemdiche

Calais Campbell - and his 56.5 career sacks - has left for Jacksonville, so someone else will have to fill the substantial gap left behind on Arizona's defensive line.

Nkemdiche was drafted 29th overall in 2016 with the expectation he'd be Campbell's eventual replacement. However, he played in only five games during his rookie season, managing just one tackle and drawing the wrath of coach Bruce Arians. Still, he'll be given every opportunity to bounce back in 2017.

Arizona had the second-best defense in the NFL last season, and Nkemdiche will have to contribute in order for the Cardinals to keep their perch.

Carson Palmer

Few would argue that how Palmer fares in 2017 will determine how the Cardinals finish. His career-best 2015 season coincided with a trip to the NFC Championship Game, and his fall back to earth last year resulted in a disappointing, playoff-less finish.

Palmer has been through more than most during his NFL career. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his first playoff game with Cincinnati, tried to force a trade from that franchise before entering a pseudo-retirement, and tore his ACL again in 2014 with the Cardinals. He's now entering his 15th season and doesn't have any time to waste.

For Palmer to cash in on Arizona's championship potential and take advantage of what's left of his own career, he'll have to rebound this season.

Tyrann Mathieu

The "Honey Badger" is a jack-of-all trades who's thrust himself into the conversation as one of the best defensive players in the league. He was even garnering support for the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2015 before he suffered a season-ending injury.

Mathieu returned in 2016, but played in just 10 games due to a partial shoulder dislocation. If he returns fully healthy in 2017, he'll have as big an impact as any on how the Cardinals finish.

Arians recently declared that Mathieu's shoulder is 100 percent, while the player is nearing that mark with the right knee he injured two seasons ago. The Cardinals will need the safety-linebacker hybrid in peak form to get where they want to go.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

Also from this series

• 3 players who will have the biggest impact on the Rams' season
• 3 players who will have the biggest impact on the 49ers' season
• 3 players who will have the biggest impact on the Seahawks' season