Underdog report: 2024 Arizona Cardinals
The 4-13 Cardinals are one of eight teams to finish 2023 at the bottom of their respective divisions. Here’s how Arizona gets out of the cellar in 2024.
Biggest need: Defense
As defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jonathan Gannon had the league’s second-best defense in 2022. As head coach of the Cardinals, his team defense finished 32nd in rush yards per game (143.2), 31st in points per game (26.8) and 30th in sacks (33).
Free agent target: DT Chris Jones
With $44M in projected cap space in 2024, Arizona can afford to go after one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles. Jones has 273 tackles and 75.5 sacks with the Chiefs, not to mention five Pro Bowl nominations, two All-Pros and three Super Bowl championships.
Draft target: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Defensive liabilities aside, Harrison is simply too good to pass up with the fourth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Cardinals passed for 184.9 yards per game last season, the seventh-worst mark in the league. Meanwhile, Harrison caught 144 passes for 2,374 yards and 28 touchdowns in his last two years with Ohio State.
Reason for optimism: QB Kyler Murray
Murray started eight games for the Cardinals after missing the first nine recovering from a torn ACL. The team went 3-5 in his starts but Murray played better than expected with 2,043 total yards and 13 touchdowns. Gannon remains high on his 26-year-old signal-caller, calling him “our franchise quarterback” while telling reporters Murray has "done everything I asked since I got there."
Reason for concern: Ownership
The Cardinals franchise has been owned by the Bidwill family without much success since 1933. Since inheriting the team in 2019, Michael Bidwill’s team has gone 32-51 with one playoff appearance.
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