Cardinals Finish Training Camp On High Note

The Arizona Cardinals have finished training camp.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Travis Vokolek (81) catches a pass during training camp at State Farm Stadium on Aug 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

GLENDALE -- And just like that, the Arizona Cardinals have put a bow on their 2024 training camp.

It was a fairly quiet scene at State Farm Stadium with fans not in attendance for the team's final practice, though the focus and competitiveness was still at top gear for Jonathan Gannon's squad.

Gannon's second training camp is officially in the books, and he likes where the team is heading:

"Thought it was good. I like the adjustments that were made. I told the team last night we're on the right trajectory, but we got to get better every day. And there's a clock ticking - it's pressing. We got to be on it," Gannon told reporters.

Will Arizona improve on their 4-13 record?

There's hope that it'll happen - just don't use that word.

"Hopefully better - but hope's not a good strategy. I think we're better. I think just being year two, guys understanding the level of understanding that's going on. I always tell them, do you know or do you know-know? I think we know-know a little bit more, but we still got a long way to go," he said.

The first step in that direction will be their preseason opener on Saturday against the New Orleans Saints.

Kyler Murray won't partake, though Gannon confirmed Marvin Harrison Jr. would suit up.

It's a case-by-case basis for each player in Arizona, though the Cardinals are going to use Saturday as an opportunity to better understand their roster.

"The guys that are out there playing need the reps and need to play and need to be evaluated and all those things, but we're not gonna do something on the player's behalf that we wouldn't ask them to do in a normal game," said Gannon in terms of splitting up snaps between the guys buried on the depth chart.

Despite the loss of BJ Ojulari thanks to a torn ACL, everyone is seemingly healthy. The Cardinals have now had two training camps under the guidance of coordinators Drew Petzing/Nick Rallis, and thus players should feel a bit more familiar/comfortable with what they're doing.

Arizona feels good about where they're at, and today's practice encapsulated just that. Painting an overall picture for these last two weeks of camp, young guys have stepped up on the defensive side of the ball while Murray and the rest of his crew on offense have looked sharp - to say the least.

Time will tell if the Cardinals make the jump everybody in the facility believes they will, though another camp is complete in the desert.

For perhaps the first time in awhile, there's good reason for optimism.