Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon looks on in the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Arizona Cardinals Can Emerge as The Valley's Top Team

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 3:45 PM ET

Exactly one month from today, the Arizona Cardinals will take the field at State Farm Stadium to begin training camp.

After wrapping up periods in voluntary offseason team activities and mandatory mini-camp, just a one month lull seperates the Cardinals from the unofficial start of football season.

Anticipation across the Valley couldn't be higher for a Cardinals team looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2021. With the Coyotes gone, Diamondbacks struggling and Suns' trajectory now up in the air after trading Kevin Durant, the Cardinals have an opportunity to capture the state's full attention.

Phoenix is now an Arizona Cardinals city.
— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) June 22, 2025

"I'm excited," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said when asked about training camp being on the horizon.

"It'll be good. It was one of the things we kind of tweaked going into [mandatory] camp and the players know this - it [training camp] will have a little more friction during camp - in a safe way. I want to get on the pads a little bit and play football."

The third year under Gannon's guidance will be massive, as the Cardinals took a big step forward in 2024 - doubling their win total from the previous season and being a competitive team.

This offseason, general manager Monti Ossenfort went to work by grabbing impact players in both the draft (Walter Nolen, Will Johnson, Jordan Burch) and free agency (Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson) to turn the Cardinals' defense from good to potentially great.

All eyes are on the offensive side of the ball, as the Cardinals are running it back with essentially the same unit from last season save for starting right guard Will Hernandez - who is currently a free agent and could re-sign with the team when he becomes fully recovered from his ACL tear.

Their success will mostly be dictated on the arm of franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, who needs to emerge as a more consistent decision-maker entering his seventh and most pivotal year leading the offense.

It's not all on Murray, as Gannon put it earlier in the offseason.

"You list the playoff teams and the quarterbacks of the playoff teams and I told (Kyler) and I believe this, what's the common denominator of the quarterbacks in the playoffs?" Gannon asked.

"You can list all these different things right? I'll make it easy on you. It's good teams. We have to do everything we can to support him and put a good team around him."

On paper, mission accomplished.

On grass? We have a month until we get a clearer picture.