One wouldn’t be blamed for not thinking highly of a team that finished last season with a porous 4-13 record and a proven talent gap within the division. However, the Arizona Cardinals are a team that could prove to play spoiler for the 2024 NFL season, and may even be a surprise playoff team when things are all said and done.
While the talent pool in Arizona is not as deep as some of the juggernauts of their division, with the Rams and 49ers boasting two of the more dangerous rosters in the entire league, there was clearly a spark to this Jonathan Gannon led team last season that was without their franchise quarterback for the majority of it.
Yes we can call Kyler Murray what he is at this point in his career, and that is a franchise quarterback. Injuries and mixed play have certainly damaged his reputation with the general public, but when Murray is at the top of his game he is a superstar and he showed as much during the final stretch of last season as he was coming back from injury.
Third TD of the day for Kyler Murray vs. the Eagles 👀 pic.twitter.com/KkKpSho6jI
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) December 31, 2023
In the final three games of the season Murray compiled six touchdowns to just one turnover and had Arizona averaging 23 points a game over that stretch. Murray has been able to adapt to the new look Drew Petzing offense, which was a massive change of direction compared to the equivalent of offensive food poisoning that was the Kliff Kingsbury offense he previously played under. With Petzing clearly prioritizing the run to set up Murray’s play by play explosion, this offense looked like it was humming better than it had all year once Murray started to come into himself late into the season.
This offseason has been a massive shift on offense to help establish their new identity as a smash mouth running team. Drafting the likes of Florida State running back Trey Benson, Illinois guard Isaiah Adams, and Illinois tight end Tip Reiman, along with the signing multiple free agents who fit the mold, sends a clear signal that Arizona is going to run the ball down opposing teams throats play after play.
The most obvious draft selection of Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is only going to help open up the field for Murray on passing downs as well as relieve pressure within the front seven, as teams will have to respect the rookies playmaking ability at the second level. Veteran running back James Conner should find plenty of opportunity to expand upon what was one of his best seasons to date.
No idea how to contextualize these GPS times yet but Marvin Harrison Jr. hit a max speed of 21.7, which is higher than Naber’s max this season.
(21.5 in the clip) https://t.co/jvaE3oZvRW pic.twitter.com/kYYVRWqF8U
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) February 26, 2024
It’s easy to forget that Arizona was projected to be the worst team in the league last season, and many a fan and analyst wrote them off the be blown out every game until Murray returned to service, but that simply did not happen. While the win total did not fall far from that prediction, it was clear this team was fighting game in and game out for their rookie head coach. The defense looked refined and relentless under Gannon’s guidance, and was a big reason why the team was so competitive.
Arizona even ended up shocking the world early on in the season with a major upset over the Dallas Cowboys in week three, which looked like a culmination of all the things we talked about coming together (plus some super hero stuff for Josh Dobbs).
YIKES
The Dallas Cowboys just lost to the Arizona Cardinals pic.twitter.com/A74ZFdyfGT
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) September 24, 2023
With a clear identity, a fully healthy Murray, a budding defense behind a brilliant defensive mind, and players willing to go to war for their coach, the Cardinals could continue to shock the world and take a massive leap in Jonathan Gannon’s second year as head coach.
