Here are some two bold predictions for the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2023, the Arizona Cardinals effectively allowed their fans to suffer through a gap year, as before the opening kickoff could even commence, they were down their starting quarterback – who suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 of 2022 and had to begin the year on the PUP list.
Disappointing? You bet, as all those snaps from Josh Dobbs ultimately proved fruitless, but hey, through it all, the franchise found a few new legitimate contributors like Michael Wilson, who should play an important role this fall as WR2, and watched Trey McBride become one of the top young tight ends in football, which should come in handy this fall.
If the Cardinals can continue to build around their interesting collection of skill position players and build an offense on par with Jonathan Gannon's defense, then who knows, maybe this year's Cardinals team could surprise some people.
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1. Kyler Murray returns to vintage form for the Cardinals
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Kyler Murray looked like a certified star for the Cardinals.
The first-overall pick back in 2019, fans and talent evaluators alike were dazzled by the Oklahoma prospect's unique blend of arm strength, speed, and agility, with his senior season earning strong enough marks across the board – 4,361 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns plus 1,001 rushing yards plus 12 more rushing touchdowns – to earn him the 2018 Heisman Trophy win.
Widely expected to go first overall to Arizona over other premier prospects like Nick Bosa and Josh Allen, the Cardinals never waivered in their interest in the Sooner signal caller, going so far as to trade away Josh Rosen, their first-round pick in 2018, to pave the way for the rookie quarterback.
And yet, after turning in some pretty impressive seasons in the NFL under some less-than-ideal circumstances, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and being named a Pro Bowler twice, some fans were pretty eager to let Murray go this offseason, looking to swap out his contract and/or the fourth overall pick to secure the rights to a rookie signal caller with whom Jonathan Gannon could soft-reboot the franchise heading into the future.
Now granted, is Murray a top-5 or even top-10 quarterback? No, he probably isn't and definitely doesn't have that reputation heading into the 2024 season, but he is still a really interesting player who, at just 27, has a ton of room to grow within Drew Petzing's offense.
Need proof? Well, look no further than last year, where Murray, despite missing the first two months of the season, still threw for 200-plus yards in all but one of his games for the team and led the Cards to three wins after having a 1-8 record in his absence. With a full offseason to get healthy, a full summer to learn the ins and outs of his team's new offense, and a new WR1 to throw to, who knows, maybe this is the year Murray re-establishes himself as the face of Arizona football and allows the team to build a winner around himself, instead of being a massive trade chip with very unclear value.
2. Marvin Harrison Jr. makes the Pro Bowl
If Murray does recapture his spot as the Cardinals' franchise quarterback of the future, it will likely be because Marvin Harrison Jr. is able to come in as a rookie and not just look like an NFL player but dominate at the level he showcased at Ohio State, where some fans openly wondered if the collegiate Buckeye should go first overall in the 2024 NFL draft even over players like Caleb Williams.
The son of, well, Marvin Harrison, the fourth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft was a truly dominant force in Columbus, looking like the best receiver to come out of Ryan Day's program in, well, maybe ever, while recording two straight 1,200-yard, 14-touchdown seasons as the favorite target of CJ Stroud and Kyle McCord. Harrison was so good, some teams would do everytihing in his power to preventing him from beating him on his own, opening up new opportunities for his teammates to shine in single coverage or mismatched against a safety or even a linebacker.
Considering few players get that sort of special treatment in the NFL, it's safe to assume Harrison's production will translate directly to the pros, too, with the potential to not only become Murray's favorite target but also make it to the Pro Bowl right out of the gate, a very realistic bold prediction all things considered. If that happens, the Cardinals will almost certainly have more than four wins this fall, though maybe not enough to make the playoffs, surely be a step closer to being a certified contender for years to come, as fans only have to think back to how impactful Nuk Hopkins was on the outside to imagine the impact Harrison could have on the 2024 season.
