The offseason is just about over, and training camp has arrived.
The Cardinals open camp on Wednesday with their first practice after reporting Tuesday afternoon. The team will spend just a little more than two weeks at State Farm Stadium before the preseason opener at home against the Chiefs. The Cardinals will then head to Denver (and a joint practice with the Broncos) for the second preseason game and then spend the balance of camp at the Dignity Health Training Center.
With a few days left before football returns, here is a look at some of the big questions the Cardinals seek to answer as they come together for the season. Part Two will post on Friday.
WHAT DOES MAXIMUM KYLER MURRAY LOOK LIKE IN THIS OFFENSE?
Kyler Murray is confident, but he always has been. He is healthy, which was true last season but still, a second full season after ACL surgery makes a difference. He still has all his physical gifts, he has talked again about upping his run/scramble game (which is what scares defenses) and the offense has been working on adding more motions and other tweaks to confound defenses.
The reality of being a QB is that he is the fulcrum of the team. Murray believes he is in his prime, and given where the team stands in Year 3 of the Monti/J.G. era, those should dovetail nicely. The way Gannon has structured his team, Murray doesn’t have to look like Joe Burrow or Josh Allen in the pass game. It doesn’t have to be prolific. But it has to be effective, and consistently so.
HOW DOES MARVIN HARRISON JR. TAKE THE YEAR 2 LEAP?
It’s been noted multiple times — before the Super Bowl even — that Harrison would need to make a jump in his second season, and if he could do so like his Hall of Fame father or even future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald (who went from 58 catches in 2004 to 103 in 2005), the Cardinals would be in a better place at wide receiver even with minor changes in the room. Harrison undoubtedly has statistical goals but he also smartly announces that the only goal is postseason wins, however that can come about.
Make no mistake, the Cardinals need improved numbers from the 2024 No. 4 overall pick. He and Murray need to click more often, and both have acknowledged as such. Given Harrison’s work ethic and drive (he has bulked up this offseason and improved his strength, in addition to his football work) it’s hard to believe the jump isn’t inevitable. Camp will be the first place to see what…
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