TEMPE — The past two seasons for the Arizona Cardinals did a lot in repairing the mess left over by the previous regime.
The wins have been at a premium for head coach Jonathan Gannon and Co. across the first 34 games of his Arizona tenure.
A 12-22 record doesn’t scream success. Yet peel back a layer or two, and there’s been noticeable change within the walls of Arizona’s training facility.
The foundation and culture have made leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort, who continues to bring in the right makeup of guys to pair with some of the holdovers of the past regime and a coaching staff determined to teach what they preach.
No longer are we all waiting for the next off-the-field distractions to drop. Not being in the news cycle constantly is a good thing.
But after two years of reclamation, the feel-good story in the desert can’t be just that anymore.
The success seen off the field since they came to town must translate to wins and a postseason appearance (and a competitive one at that).
Arizona can no longer be measured in potential. It must produce. Last year’s glimpse of what-could-be cannot be the ceiling for this era of the Cardinals.
🚨 BEACH POD 🚨
“We need to get the job done right now.”
Kelvin Beachum is back alongside @Tdrake4sports and @koval_lauren to talk the Cardinals’ upward trajectory, what Arizona’s moves this offseason mean for 2025 and more!
Full episode: https://t.co/UBjkQeArLf pic.twitter.com/1RgOdbp8by
— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) April 22, 2025
“The opportunity that’s at hand right now is the opportunity to put ourselves in a position to make some noise in the playoffs,” offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum told Arizona Sports’ Cardinals Corner in April. “I think the powers that be, Monti and JG, they did a phenomenal job in free agency. That’s really set the stage for like there are things that need to happen now.
“If you can’t sense that, if you can’t see that, if you can’t feel that, you haven’t been watching football long enough. They’ve made decisions, they’ve made changes that have really indicated that we need to get the job done right now.”
Because if this team can’t live up to the heightened expectations that come with the territory of where this roster currently stands, changes will come in some form or another.
Gannon isn’t going anywhere. Let’s get that out of the way first.
Fail to take a step on either side of the ball, though, and questions are going to swarm.
With the defensive additions coordinator Nick Rallis has seen this offseason, not being a top-10 defense would be a massive miss.
Even with the season-ending injuries to potential starters like Starling Thomas V and Sean Murphy-Bunting, plus rookie Walter Nolen III on the shelf for at least four weeks of the year, there are very little excuses.
The unit must be an asset and not a liability.
Offensively, another failed season puts the crosshairs squarely on two individuals:
– Drew Petzing
– Kyler Murray
The run game has been an epic part of Petzing’s scheme since he got to town in 2023 and is what this offense is built on.
But if he can’t get more out of Murray, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and the rest of the passing game across a full season of work, something’s got to give.
Is that on Petzing or Murray?
The signal caller has just one playoff appearance (and a bad one at that) under his belt across six seasons as Arizona’s franchise signal caller.
He’s taken steps forward as a leader, especially in recent seasons, and has grown his connection with Harrison and others, but time is running out for Murray to recapture the success he once had in high school and college.
“I think I know what we can be. That’s just me talking and none of that matters. We still gotta go out there and execute and do it,” Murray said Wednesday. “But as far as roster goes, I think we’re in a place where we can be very confident in what we have and feel like if we go out there and execute, that’s enough. We don’t have to be heroes. At the end of the day, the ball’s got to be rolled out there and we got to go do it.
“Gotta be consistent as (a) whole. We’ve shown flashes but I want to be the best offense in the league,” the QB added.
Not putting a consistent season together and not reaching the playoffs could lead to some serious discussions about whether or not Murray can really lead this team to the next level.
The current regime has been a great story for a franchise that couldn’t get out of its own way before new leadership took over.
Can it avoid being one of the what-if moments in Cardinals history, or will this team rise up to the expectations rightfully put on it?
“Why not be right now? The time is now. We got a talented roster right now,” running back James Conner said during offseason programs in May. “We added talented players to it. I’m ready. We aren’t doing this forever, so the sooner the better.”
The NFC West is ripe for the taking
It’s not just about what the Cardinals have on their roster, either.
The window of opportunity is very much open in the NFC West this season.
The San Francisco 49ers have already dealt with a litany of injuries, though some players are returning to practice this week.
One notable player that’s not? Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who begins the year on the reserve/PUP list.
And the defense has coordinator Robert Saleh back in the mix but underwent plenty of notable departures — Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga among them — this offseason.
Despite all that, the 49ers are still projected to post double-digit wins in 2025. But even with an easier schedule than most, there are plenty of question marks coming out of the Bay Area.
As for the Los Angeles Rams, what is going on with quarterback Matthew Stafford and his back issue?
He’s expected to start in Week 1, but according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the back issue will be something to monitor and manage in 2025.
That doesn’t scream confidence by any means.
If he’s sidelined, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is the next man up in L.A.
That’s a massive step in the wrong direction for the Rams.
Then there’s the Seattle Seahawks.
The defense is going to be legit under head coach Mike Macdonald. That feels like a given after what was put on tape last season paired with the head coach’s defensive mind.
Offensively, though, how will the unit operate with Sam Darnold at the helm?
After his standout year with the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold takes over for starter Geno Smith following the latter’s offseason trade to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Darnold went absolutely wild in Minnesota, setting career marks in passing percentage (66.2%), yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35) across 17 starts for the Vikings.
Take out that one-year sample size, though, and Darnold’s NFL career has been pedestrian at best.
He’s only reached double-digit scores two other times in his career (2018-19) and has a 63-68 TD-INT ratio without the 35-score showing.
Can he really catch lightning in a bottle in consecutive seasons? The resume says otherwise.
If the Cardinals are going to finally win back the division for the first time since 2015, this is the year to do so.
There are no more excuses.