The Arizona Cardinals are not entering the 2024 NFL season with much fanfare coming off of consecutive 4-13 seasons in 2022 and 2023, the latter of which was Jonathan Gannon's first as head coach.
However, a few underlying metrics reveal there may be more to them than the surface level win-loss numbers. For starters, one has to factor in face-of-the-franchise quarterback Kyler Murray missing nearly half (15) of a possible 34 the last two seasons while dealing with a torn ACL he suffered in the back half of the 2022 campaign. He will now enter the 2024 season as healthy as he has been in years.
Arizona also had the NFL's best strength of victory (.588), which is the combined record of all teams that were beaten during their regular season schedule, with wins over three playoff teams -- the 12-5 Dallas Cowboys, 11-6 Philadelphia Eagles and 10-7 Pittsburgh Steelers. Those three wins over playoff teams were more than the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and high-flying Miami Dolphins had in 2023 combined. Still, the Cardinals have the worst odds to win the NFC West in 2024 with +1500 odds, per Caesars Sportsbook, well behind the Seattle Seahawks (+750), Los Angeles Rams (+350) and the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers (-225).
"Yeah, I mean, let them sleep," Murray said in a sit down with NFL On CBS analyst Tiki Barber on Wednesday. "Our job is to wake them up and allow them to realize what's going on out here. I think, with the addition of (2024 first-round pick) Marv[in Harrison Jr.], obviously, he's a natural God-gifted ability to play the position of wide receiver. Mike Wilson, Greg Dortch, Trey McBride]. Man, James [Conner] and all the running backs that we have, our O-line, I think a lot of people started to see that last year, we play hard. We play the right way, and you just keep adding weapons to that, and another year into the system with [offensive coordinator] Drew [Petzing] calling the plays, continuity growing. I think the sky is the limit for this offense, for sure."
Five seasons into his time in the league, Murray has earned 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and two Pro Bowl selections in three healthy seasons from 2019-2021. His 2022 and 2023 campaigns were marred by a torn ACL and then a subsequent late return from the significant knee injury. Entering the 2024 season at age 27, Murray feels like he has many levels of production he can tap into feeling fully healthy with a fresh-faced supporting cast. Excluding Conner, who is 29, and Dortch, who is 26, Harrison (22), Wilson (24), McBride (24) and 2024 third-round running back Trey Benson (21) are all under the age of 25.
"I can understand why (people are sleeping on me)," Murray said. "You know, I don't even feel like I've scratched the surface of what I'm able to do in this league. Kind of being hurt the last season and a half, it is what it is. In this world, it's kind of what have you done for me lately? We haven't won. So, I understand, but I'm primed and ready to prove what I'm able to do, what I'm capable of, what this team's capable of. It's the ultimate team sport, and I'm ready to go. And this team's ready to go, for sure."
Murray's two Pro Bowl selections came in 2020 and 2021 while throwing deep downfield to five-time Pro Bowl wideout DeAndre Hopkins. He has also thrown to Larry Fitzgerald and A.J. Green, fellow multi-time All-Pros. The dual-threat passer feels like he now has another special target in the Harrison, the fourth pick in the 2024 draft. The Ohio State product led college football in touchdown catches over the last two seasons with 28, which earned him consecutive Unanimous All-American accolades.
"I'm super excited for Marvin," Murray said when asked if he has another great receiver like Hopkins in Harrison. "There's certain guys, and I'm sure you've been around a lot of them, they step in day one, and they're not rookies. They don't feel like rookies. They're pro-ready guys. The mental that they have, the makeup, the way they carry themselves off the field, in the building, he's catching jugs before or after practice. And a lot of guys do that, but it's different. Just sitting down talking to them, I've loved being able to integrate him into the offense. Not only offense, but just being around the guys, man, it's a beautiful thing and I'm excited. I'm excited for them."
The difference between his upcoming experience with Harrison is Murray will be able to grow with the 22-year-old rookie whereas Fitzgerald, Green and Hopkins were closer to the end of their careers when playing with Murray early in the quarterback's NFL journey.
"I think, for me, the most exciting part about adding a young Marv is every name that you mentioned, I kind of got them on the back end of the career," Murray said. "The beautiful thing about adding Marvin out of the draft is, not only his talent, his ability, but the fact that we'll be able to grow together. And that's what I'm most looking forward to. Obviously, he's a great receiver. He's going to be a great receiver. I think he's got the Hall of Fame ability. Obviously, going to take a lot of work to get there, but I'm super excited."
McBride also shined as a valuable weapon last season, breaking out once Murray returned from his ACL tear in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. The 2022 second-round pick erupted that day, catching eight of his nine targets from Murray for 131 receiving yards. He ended up with 53 catches, the second-most among all NFL tight ends from Week 10-18 last season, for 538 receiving yards, the third-most among NFL tight ends from Weeks 10-18, in the eight games with Murray in 2023. That pace, if extrapolated over a 17-game season, would result in 112 catches, which would have been the second-most by a tight end last season trailing only Evan Engram's 114, for 1,143 receiving yards, which would have been the most among NFL tight ends in 2023.
Those two pass-catching playmakers linking up with Murray in tandem with a running game that was one of the best in the NFL could lead to a potent attack in 2024. The Cardinals ranked inside the NFL's top five in rushing yards per game (139.1, the fourth-most in the league) while ranking second among all 32 teams in yards per carry (5.0). Arizona led the NFL with four games of 200 or more rushing yards. Conner broke out at the age of 28 for his first 1,000-yard rushing season (1,040 yards, the sixth-most in the NFL) in 2023 while also averaging a career-high five yards per carry, the fifth-best in the entire league among qualified running backs. That type of production should allow the 5-foot, 207-pound quarterback to preserve his body better across the league's 17-game slate.
"Hell, I was surprised at how good we ran the ball last year," Murray said. "Obviously, rehab and being on the side, you don't know how good a team's run game is going to be until you get to the season because in camp, you can't hit each other and you're doing pre-season, it's a little dicey. But once you get to the real regular season and you start pressing it, and I'm seeing the numbers and like, I've never seen so many wide open holes. Coach Klayton Adams the offensive line coach] and the way they coach it, they do a really good job man. And obviously, James is the bell cow. Nobody really wants to hit James. But you have Trey [Benson], you got Emari [Demercado], Mike [Michael Carter], we got a lot of good running backs."
With nearly an entire season on the sideline spread across the last two years, Murray feels more equipped than ever to take the next step in his evolution as quarterback between the wisdom that comes with five years of NFL experience and what he believes might be the best offensive supporting cast of his career.
"I was watching the COVID year actually. 2020, I was watching some of our games from then, and I'm like, dude, I played well," Murray said. "I thought I was playing well at the time, for sure. But I'm like, 'What was I doing? I'm just looking, I'm so much better now. You know what I mean? Why would I do that? Or I would've done this differently.' But, man, I just think, now, a lot of it has to do with being in a system where I feel like I don't have to do everything. And that's no knock on what we were doing in the past, but it's just allowing me to be myself within the system, and then, taking over, doing the things that God blessed me to be able to do outside, when it needs to happen, versus forcing it all the time. Just be myself and play within the system and let the guys be the guys. ... If I feel like I understand the whole offense, I think knowing where it goes, the ball and no matter what the defense is doing, the sky's the limit."
Murray's career averages of 240.7 passing yards per game and 37.7 rushing yards indicate that he's been doing it all for years, and history bears that out. Murray (2019-2023) along with fellow dual-threat dynamo Cam Newton (2011-2015) are the only players to have five consecutive seasons averaging 200 or more passing yards per game and 30 or more rushing yards per game. Both such runs ocurred in their first five seasons. With the team the Cardinals have assembled, Murray is confident his all-encompassing production won't go to waste in 2024.
"Man, I feel as good as ever, and very confident," Murray said. "This is the most confident I've been in the team in a while. Just the leadership that we have, the guys in the locker room, man, they really believe in it, they really... It's a very tight-knit group. And the coaches, and JG [Gannon], man, I can't say enough of good things about him. And [general manager] Monti [Ossenfort] and what they've... the culture that they brought in into this place."
Between the intangibles and the retooled support cast, Murray feels comfortable with setting his goal for himself and Arizona on taking home the Vince Lombardi trophy at the end of the 2024 season.
"For this team? My goal is win the Super Bowl," Murray said. "That's always going to be my goal. Regardless of what the outsiders put on us, everybody, they talk about everybody, everybody's great right now. You don't know until you get into the season and pads start clicking and helmets start getting hit, and you got to make plays. I'm excited, but I'm not putting any limits on what this team can do."