Analyst: Cardinals Will Rebound in 2025
ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals fell flat in 2024, but there's hope for the future.
You know the story by now: Arizona led the NFC West entering their bye week before losing their next five-of-six games to stumble out of the postseason picture.
The Cardinals still managed to double their win total from last season, and there's plenty of reason for optimism entering 2025.
The Athletic picked the Cardinals as one of the more likely teams to bounce back from missing the postseason:
"Yes, they fizzled down the stretch, but Jonathan Gannon’s Cardinals appear poised to make real strides in 2025. They doubled their win total in 2024. Kyler Murray looks comfortable in the system, and James Conner is locked in for the long term. Now they just need Marvin Harrison Jr. to make a leap to further elevate the offense, and a difference-making pass rusher to lead the defense," wrote Mike Jones.
Arizona certainly has a good chunk of pieces to make the jump from pretenders to contenders in 2025, especially moving into an offseason that features the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and $68.1 million in effective cap space.
But what can they do?
Figure out how to jump-start their offense may be a good step in the right direction, as Arizona was far too inconsistent on that side of the ball under the guidance of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterback Kyler Murray.
Speaking on Jones' point of Harrison getting going better in 2025, that's a belief that Gannon carries himself:
“I know sometimes he hasn’t come down with some 50/50 balls, but he's also come down with some 50/50 balls. That's why they're 50/50 balls. I think he's done a really good job this year of learning and adapting his game, fitting into where he fits into, moving around different spots and making some plays and missing some plays," said Gannon.
"They’re learning experiences for him. This was a good year for him to get under his belt. First year with the quarterback, and there's no doubt that collectively, we have to do a better job. I'm very aware of that. It's not like I just think (that) it is what it is, that's not my mindset. I know the impact that he can have on our team and our offense, and we have to make sure that he hits his ceiling. He'll have some things that he is working on this week that I want to see show up. (Things) that he has to do a better job of. There's a lot of things that I'm working on this week that have to show up.”
If Harrison is unlocked, he can truly take Arizona's offense - and perhaps team - to the next level.