As the 2024 season neared its conclusion, one takeaway became quite clear: In order to win the NFC West, the Cardinals needed to upgrade their roster.
Arizona currently owns the fourth-most cap space in the NFL, according to Over The Cap. They intend to spend it, too.
"We are going to be active (in free agency)," Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said, . "We're going to look for every avenue to improve the team, but we have to be smart about not only this year's team, but as we build for the future and our own players that we want to extend."
Arizona gave its fans an entertaining season in 2024, even taking the lead in the NFC West temporarily before a late-season slide -- including a 1-3 record in division matchups -- saw them fall out of the playoff race entirely. Kyler Murray's early season heroics paired nicely with a defense that played above expectation, but the Cardinals proved to be an inconsistent team, especially when the running game wasn't working.
As the season entered its final stages, Murray's production declined. During Arizona's 2-5 finish to the campaign, Murray posted a 9-8 touchdown-interception ratio, a figure very much buoyed by a four-touchdown performance in the largely meaningless win over the 49ers in the season finale. The magic he'd showed earlier in the season was fleeting at best, and Arizona finally succumbed to its talent deficit against better competition.
Those seeking simple explanations can point to Murray when assigning blame for the Cardinals' breakdown. Of course, it was never that simple.
"With our whole team, we have to finish," Ossenfort said Friday . "So, there were those tight games that was it only Kyler? No, there was other things that the rest of the team could do. Does Kyler have to play better? Absolutely he does. So, we talk about it all the time, keys to our team, we don't want to turn the ball over and we want to make explosive plays. So, when Kyler was doing those things and contributing to those things, he was rolling. He was humming and we saw what that could be.
"When those games get tight and we turn the ball over and Kyler's involved in some of those, like that's where it's going to get tough to win. It's going to get tough to win late in the season when the window of opportunity just shrinks. That's a hump we have to get over. So, Kyler has to improve on that and our whole team has to improve on that. We have to raise our level of consistency, but we've seen what that looks like when Kyler is humming, what he could do with his arm and his legs and the pressure and stress he puts on a defense. We have to find a way to not only Kyler but the rest of our team to even out those ups-and-downs so we could come out of the right end of those close games, especially late in the season."
The criticism is deserved, but it shouldn't be interpreted as a sign of uncertainty regarding Murray's future. He was a major reason, if not the reason the Cardinals found themselves in contention last season.
"What he is a dual-threat quarterback and when he's healthy, he scares every defensive coordinator, and he has a chance to change the game with his feet or with his arm," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said of Murray. "I think Monti has done a very good job of building a running game and strong offensive line even though we had injuries to our offensive line last year. I think that's what we got to do. It was his second year in Drew Petzing's offense. When you look at it, I feel like we got to continue to rely on him. He's got to play at a high level, and he knows that.
"He's working hard, I see him in the training facility continuing to work even in the offseason. He needs to take the next step. We are excited about our future with Kyler. He's a great quarterback. You look at the rest of the league, there are so many teams that would love to have Kyler Murray, and I think we need to continue to build around that offense for him."
There was also the matter of first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr., a highly touted, incredibly talented receiver who only occasionally displayed his abilities in his first season. He and Murray never seemed to get on the same page, and while other rookies (Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Jalen McMillan) thrived elsewhere, Harrison felt like a bit of a wasted commodity in Arizona.
As important as roster construction will be to the Cardinals, asset maximization will also be paramount. A franchise can't simply continue forward without making a top pick a key focus.
"We couldn't be happier with Marvin. The guy scored touchdowns for us; the guy was our second leading receiver behind a tight end who had a historic season in Trey McBride," Ossenfort said. "Are there things Marvin has to do better and has to improve on? Absolutely. The encouraging thing about Marvin is that every day that I've been in the office since the season ended, there hasn't been a day that's gone by that Marvin is not in there. Marvin is wired to improve and Marvin is a football player. Marvin, Kyler and the rest of the offense are going to continue to grow that relationship. … Marvin means a lot to our team and he's only going to get better."
So, what have we learned? Apparently, all of the Cardinals' key players are in the building working toward 2025. Their decision-makers are likely doing the same. Now, it's about unifying those efforts toward one common goal.
Don't be surprised if some new faces hop on board along the way, too.
"We're so close," Bidwill said. "This is such a competitive division. With a few more pieces this offseason, I feel like we've got the right combination of coaching, players, roster, to take the next step."
