One SB Nation writer believes so.
Almost every NFL team has a player whose performance on the field can change the team's fortune for the year. Who is that player for the Arizona Cardinals? SB Nation's Danny Kelly believes it is Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu's shot at the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2013 was cut short by an ACL tear. He appeared in 13 games last season, but played sparingly as the team eased him back into action. The instinctive and playmaking ballhawk should find himself in a versatile role in 2015 for Arizona's new defensive coordinator, James Bettcher, and could be a big spark to what was an already dominant group.