The Arizona Cardinals could be the sneakiest good team in the NFL

The Arizona Cardinals are quite the enigma entering the 2024 season.

They exceeded every expectation set for them in 2023. And although their record only showed four wins, even that was a higher number than the vast majority of people thought they’d get. A tip of the cap to Jonathan Gannon is warranted because despite not having the greatest roster, the Cardinals fought tooth and nail every week, and were actually a somewhat fun offense when Kyler Murray returned.

In Weeks 10-18, the Cardinals were ninth in the NFL in EPA per play and second(!) in EPA per rush. In that span, James Conner had three 100-yard rushing games and only one game where he averaged less than four yards per carry. And while it took some time for Murray to shake off the rust of not playing for a year, he ended the season with three consecutive games with a passer rating of 97 or higher, and his final two contests saw him post passer ratings of 116.7 and 110.7, respectively. 

Now, adding Marvin Harrison Jr. to the equation to go along with the terrific run game, the Cardinals’ offense has all the potential to be a legitimate top 10 unit under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

Now, their defense is what gives me cause for concern. The Cardinals were 31st in defensive EPA per play in 2023, beating out only the Washington Commanders. Now, to their credit, they added several defensive players in the 2024 NFL Draft - Darius Robinson, Max Melton, Elijah Jones, and Taylor Dadrion-Demerson to name a few. And while it would be difficult for them to be worse overall than they were in 2023, this is still a very young unit that needs some established veteran talent sprinkled in. 

So when looking ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft, I don’t necessarily want to see the Cardinals keep loading up on defensive players, I’d like to see them make a splash in free agency and maybe add another receiver or a running back to their offense to strengthen that side of the ball. This is a team that is flying under the radar this season, but has every chance to be a fun wildcard contender if the cards fall their way.