Analyst Offers Bold Cardinals Prediction

“The Cardinals are winning this division, at 12-5," Douzable said.

"One thing I know for sure about watching tape, this team plays extremely hard. And I talked to [head coach Jonathan Gannon] at the ownership meetings. I said, ‘Coach, how hard was it to get everybody on the same page to play with that effort.’ And he was like ‘It wasn’t hard. Actually, it was hard. But when everybody believes in a plan, that’s how you build a culture.’

“And they have the right culture. … They revamped the defensive line. That was the biggest issue on this team. Those guys played hard, but they didn’t have the talent. Now with Walter Nolen, now with Josh Sweat, let’s not forget, Darius Robisnon missed a good portion of the season last year, but he played really well in the back end. 

"You get a guy like Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson. They have the hogs up front to get after the quarterback. I know there’s issues or concerns with their young secondary, but to me, Garrett Williams was one of the best nickel backs in all of football last year, and getting Will Johnson, if healthy, in the second round may be the steal of the draft."

Those observations do align with what has been said, written and posited about this Cardinals team in recent months. The change in culture has been tangible, and the talent has begun to pool, even in previous areas of need.

But Douzable said Arizona's success will come down to one factor: QB Kyler Murray.

"It comes down to Kyler Murray, because this team was leading the division," Douzable said. "But then you go to that Minnesota game, the Carolina game, he didn’t play well, he has to play well in those big spots. I’ve got this team winning the division."