Six Cardinals Who Could Breakout in 2024

These Arizona Cardinals players could emerge on the scene in 2024.

Oct 29, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; The Arizona Cardinals offense lines up against the Baltimore Ravens defense in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals will be looking forward to a 2024 season that will hopefully have quite a bit more success than they’ve had in recent years.

The team was aggressive in adding depth and talent through both free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft, and we are looking at a Cardinals squad that appears much improved.

There will need to be several players to step up in 2024, including Kyler Murray, who is perceivably 100% healthy after nursing an ACL injury to start last year. The Cards will need Murray to return to Pro Bowl form for the team to have any serious success.

Of course, Murray can’t be the only player stepping up for either side of the ball if they plan to win games this season. The good news? I think there’s a handful of players who could see some serious breakouts in 2024.

Here, I have six guys who I believe in the most to breakout this year as well as where I anticipate them to show their respective breakouts.

A quick honorable mention to both Kyzir White and Jalen Thompson. I believe these guys have already shown high-level play, but I would like to go on record and say they will have career-years in 2024.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Is it fair to put a rookie on this list when they haven’t even played a down of professional football? Probably not, but Harrison is already perceived as the second coming of Larry Fitzgerald in the desert, and for good reason.

The fourth overall pick in this past drafted is one of the most highly coveted receivers to come out in recent years and his fit in this offense is easy as the Cardinals’ undisputed number one option. It certainly makes it easy to project him as a breakout candidate even before day one.

With all the potential in the world, MHJ could make a serious run at some rookie receiving records that were just set by Puka Nacua last season, and maybe even aim for more history than that.

Breakout stat: Challenging rookie records

Michael Wilson

The Wilson fan club is alive and well here and there’s plenty of hype for the second-year pro entering 2024. With Wilson projected to lineup opposite Harrison as the Cardinals number two receiver, he may be in for a lot of one-on-one matchups and perhaps even turn those into big time opportunities.

Wilson is a big dude at 6’2 and 213-lbs to go along with a big catch radius. If he’s able to stay on the field this season in more ways than one, we could see him establish a dynamic one-two punch with Harrison.

The Cardinals haven’t had two 1,000-yard receivers since 2015 when Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown each achieved the mark. If Harrison blows up as a rookie, Wilson will have ample opportunity to do the same and could flirt with that 1k mark.

Breakout stat: 1,000 receiving yards

Trey McBride

Has McBride already broken out? Undoubtedly. However, outside of Arizona and the fantasy football community, McBride isn’t known by many and that’s a shame. So, consider McBride to be a breakout candidate for this season.

Last year, McBride came alive to bring down 81 catches for 825 yards, both of which paced the Cards. It’s hard to imagine him doing much better than that, especially with the superstar potential the team has out wide. However, there is one area where McBride could improve – the redzone. 

McBride only pulled in three touchdowns a season ago, so despite being a checkdown weapon, he wasn’t seen too much in the money part of the field. With so much attention being commanded outside by Harrison and Wilson, perhaps McBride can find the endzone a bit easier this year. Plus, more touchdowns will endear him to fans across the country.

Breakout stat: Double-digit touchdowns

Will Hernandez

It’s no secret we're big-time fans of Hernandez. Since arriving in the desert, Hernandez has started all 30 games he’s laced up for and has been a consistent force on the line. With the turmoil the franchise has had on the line within the last however long, it’s been a welcome addition to the group.

Hernandez hasn’t become a household name just yet, but I like him to become such this season. The Cardinals have made heavy investments in the offensive line recently, including drafting Paris Johnson Jr. sixth overall in last year's draft and signing Jonah Williams to a two-year contract this offseason. 

With the team placing an emphasis on bulking up the line, we could see Hernandez realize his potential next to a group that should be one of the better rooms we’ve seen recently. I expect big things from Hernandez this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up with some major Pro Bowl voting love come November.

Breakout stat: Top-15 graded offensive guard in 2024

BJ Ojulari

Ojulari was tied for second on the Cardinals’ defense for sacks with four as a rookie. There were highs and lows for Ojulari, but we could see him start to put the pieces together this year and grow from year one to year two.

This offseason, the Cardinals beefed up their front-seven with players like Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones to get big men to eat blocks. The team also added Darius Robinson in round one with the idea of having him flex all through the front. This will leave tons of opportunities for Ojulari to get some one-on-one matchups off the edge.

Ojulari has God-given talents as an athlete and if he can match those gifts with some development as a player, we may see Ojulari start to put up some big boy numbers this season. The Cardinals would love to see Ojulari turn into a double-digit sack player and if all goes well there won’t be much stopping him other than himself. 

Breakout stat: double-digit sacks

Garrett Williams

Williams took some time to get acclimated to the pros after suffering an ACL injury in his last season of college. His recovery time lingered into the start of his rookie season, but we still saw Wilson line up for nine games, where he recorded 23 tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception. Not too bad for a guy who likely wasn’t 100%.

With a full offseason of good health and development, Williams could take a significant step forward this season and become what the Cardinals have been searching for several years for now – a true number one cornerback.

The Cardinals added some dept to the corner spot including free agent Sean Murphy-Bunting and rookie Max Melton, but Williams will have every opportunity to earn the top spot on the team.

No matter whether he does or doesn’t, however, he showed some good ball skills as a rookie and I anticipate they’ll only improve now that he is another year in the pros and fully ready for the start of the season.

Breakout stat: 4+ interceptions and 10+ pass breakups