Cover photo taken from NBC Sports.
Welcome to 32 Teams in 32 Days, a daily series leading up to kickoff of the 2025 NFL season where I preview every team in the league as decided by a wheel spin and project what their season will look like.
Our second leg of the journey keeps us in the NFC West with the upstart Cardinals, who have flown under the radar for quite some time now and could be poised for a breakthrough season.
I’ll start by saying this: Arizona was as good of a sub-.500 team as you’ll find in the league in 2024, at least offensively. They were 10th in the league in offensive EPA/play, Kyler Murray was 9th in QBR and the team was sixth in dropback success rate — notably above each of the league’s final four teams in Buffalo, Washington, Kansas City and Philadelphia. The team was 6-4 heading into their bye before falling apart, losing five of their next six, including very winnable games against Minnesota and Carolina.
What did the Cards in was their defense, which was 24th in defensive EPA/play and a drab 31st in success rate. Considering the defensive nature of head coach Jonathan Gannon, that won’t fly for the redbirds in ’25.
As such, defense seemed to be the emphasis of the offseason in the desert. While the offense gained no new starters, five of the team’s six draft picks were spent on that side of the ball — notably including DT Walter Nolen in the first round and DB Will Johnson in the second, who could each be franchise cornerstones if they stay healthy and live up to their potential. DB Denzel Burke, LB Cody Simon and LB Jordan Burch could also develop into solid pieces and at least provide some defensive depth.
Josh Sweat was signed away from the Eagles to a lucrative deal to bolster the pass rush which was 28th in win rate a year ago. Calais Campbell was brought back home to provide a veteran presence and maybe give the interior some juice. All things considered, this should be an improved unit this season; at least DC Nick Rallis hopes they’ll be in what’s essentially a make-or-break year for him.
Again, this team is practically the same offense as it was a year ago, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the stats, but I do have some question marks.
For starters, I’m not overly fond of OC Drew Petzing — particularly his lack of emphasis to feed the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. Yes, it apparently isn’t necessary, but it seems like something that could surely elevate the unit. Critics and TikTokers would have you believe that Harrison’s rookie year was a disappointment; I’ll admit that might be true statistically, but film would tell the story of a kid who simply didn’t see the ball enough.
Having a star TE in Trey McBride certainly plays a big factor there, considering led all tight ends in target share with over 29% — good for sixth among all pass catchers. For reference, MHJ ranked 42nd, lower than guys like David Njoku and Michael Pittman Jr.
Call me crazy, but I’m in favor of getting the ball to the generational talent you took fourth overall.
I won’t put the blame on Kyler, because I actually think he’s a pretty solid quarterback who gets a little too much hate. But there were numerous occasions where Marv would be wide open streaking down the field and not even get looked at. It’s the small things like that which prevent this offense from being one of the best in the league — which, considering the solid offensive line and pretty good skill position group, is entirely possible.
This was already a solid roster that improved greatly in the areas it needed to. But the fact remains: I need to see it to believe it. I want to believe in this offense, and I’m excited to see what the defense looks like. But, for now, the glass is neither half-full nor half-empty. It just has some water in it.
X-Factor: QB Kyler Murray
If the Cardinals want to return to the postseason, you’d have to picture Kyler returning to a form like we saw pre-ACL tear. Again, last year wasn’t bad for him by any means — in fact, he posted the highest QBR of his career — but it wasn’t enough to get over the hump. That’s not all his fault. But if he can get just a little closer to the peak of his potential, it’ll be good enough to make up for this team’s shortcomings. We all know he has what it takes to be a top-10 signal caller. It just remains to be seen whether or not he can get there.
Team MVP: TE Trey McBride
To put it plainly, Trey McBride is a damn stud. He has clearly emerged as a top-three tight end in football, and on his best day, he’s probably the best in the league. His route running is wildly polished for his size, he’s almost unguardable at the catch point and fairly effective after the catch. McBride has developed into the ultimate safety blanket for Kyler Murray and one of the biggest ball-demanders in football with 111 receptions last season — good for fourth in the league. Only Brock Bowers was a more productive TE last season, which is pretty good company to keep. For his efforts, McBridge was given a four-year, $76 million extension, making him the highest paid tight end in NFL history. So, this was a pretty easy choice. Entering year four, he’s showing no signs of slowing down and should continue to be the primary weapon in this offense. That is, unless, something in particular happens…
Breakout Candidate: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
This is the year. There should be a much more conceited effort to get Marv the football, and it’s going to pay dividends. I always thought he was the best receiver in the 2024 class; hell, I thought he was the best player in the draft and one of the most unique talents I’ve ever watched. I still believe that potential is within him, and I still think this is a perfect situation for him to be in. If he consistently sees targets — of which there should be at least 80 or 90 — he should explode this season and become the type of receiver we all expect him to be. He may not eclipse his ’24 draft counterparts in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. just yet, but it’s only a matter of time before that happens. A player of his skillset and athleticism doesn’t dwell for long.
Record Prediction: 8-9
Like I said with Seattle yesterday, this is a very middle-of-the-pack type of schedule. But with too many unknowns on defense, it’s hard to hand out wins in toss-ups where the tie goes to a clearly better, more well-rounded squad. Road games at Dallas, Tampa Bay, Houston and Cincinnati also stand out as steep hills to climb, and the divisional road games figure to be chalked up as losses as well. A double-digit win season is entirely possible. It just needs to be seen to be believed.
Next up: 
San Francisco 49ers
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