Arizona Cardinals

Ridder essentially became expendable in Atlanta after the Falcons inked Kirk Cousins to a lucrative four-year deal, and he'll now have an opportunity for an early-career reset in Arizona. Ridder won't have the pressure of having to prove his worth as a starter with Murray firmly in possession of the top job, but the trade acquisition shouldn't have too much difficulty beating out the unproven Clayton Tune, who struggled during his brief appearances as a rookie in 2023, for the top backup role.

Coming off a breakout 81-catch 2023 campaign, McBride was off to a decent start to this season as well after compiling 14 catches for 122 yards through the first three games. The tight end missed Arizona's loss to Washington last week.

Murray was sacked once during the Cardinals' 41-10 win over the Rams in Week 2, and he finished the game completing 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns while adding 59 rushing yards on five carries. Those numbers may be hard to repeat Sunday, however, if Jackson Barton has to start at right tackle if Beachum cannot play. That would be a potential weak point on the Cardinals' offensive line that Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions' defense could exploit, which could force Murray to call more plays in which he rolls out of the pocket.

The rookie fourth overall pick came into the season opener with elevated expectations thanks to his stellar college career, but he finished with one reception for four yards on three targets. Harrison placed responsibility on himself for his performance, noting that he felt he was thinking much more than playing naturally after seeing only three snaps in the preseason. Quarterback Kyler Murray reiterated his confidence in Harrison and also attributed part of the first-year wideout's struggles to the Bills' focus on ensuring he was constantly covered by more than one player.

Harrison was targeted only three times and gained just four yards in his pro debut. Kyler Murray failed to see him break free on a deep route late in the game, but Petzing put the brunt of the blame on himself in his comments Tuesday. He noted that it's his job to get the ball in Harrison's hands, not Murray's.

Dallas made history by scoring a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's season opener, becoming the first player to take a kick return to the house after the NFL's rule change took effect for the 2024 season. His accomplishment, however, came in a losing effort. Dallas hadn't scored a touchdown on 62 career kickoff returns or on any of his 39 punt returns prior to Sunday's game.

Collins shifted from being an off-ball linebacker to a full-time edge rusher in 2023. He came away with 3.5 sacks and six quarterback hits across 17 games, but the Cardinals have lost BJ Ojulari to a season-ending ACL injury while Darius Robinson is currently on injured reserve due to a calf injury. That leaves Collins to occupy a very important role in 2024, and a jump in production could follow.

Ridder was the favorite to snag the second spot on the quarterback depth chart after being acquired via trade from the Falcons in March, but Tune beat out the 2022 second-round pick during the preseason. Tune, a 2023 fifth-round draft pick out of Houston, is the only quarterback other than Murray to make Arizona's 53-man roster.

Jones' five-game ban for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy dings Murray's arsenal of pass catchers to open the season, especially considering how well the veteran wideout was reportedly acclimating to the Cardinals' offensive system this offseason and training camp. However, Murray does have a solid group of targets to fall back on behind projected starters Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson, considering the presence of Greg Dortch, Chris Moore and Zach Pascal, not to mention ascending tight end Trey McBride.

Dortch already had a solid outlook heading into the 2024 season, considering his durability and body of work over the last two seasons in particular. However, the fifth-year pro now seems to be in line for even more opportunity over the first five games of the season, especially considering he typically operates in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field that are also often Jones' domain.

The suspension for the veteran offseason addition is without pay and stems from a Nov. 13 misdemeanor domestic battery arrest. Jones had been lauded by head coach Jonathan Gannon during the offseason for his ability to pick up the offense quickly, but he'll now have to wait until Week 6 to demonstrate his skills in regular-season action.

Fowler believes Conner will work as the focal point of Arizona's backfield in 2024 after averaging 5.0 yards per carry last season. Benson should mix in as a change-of-pace option, but the rookie third-round draft pick out of Florida State may need to wait until 2025 to spread his wings, as Conner's contract expires after the current campaign.

Conner has had 202, 183 and 208 regular-season rushing attempts in his three years with Arizona. He missed four games due to injuries in each of the past two campaigns, so injuries could keep Conner from reaching the 200-carry threshold for a second time, but the 29-year-old is slotted in firmly atop the depth chart. His contract expires at the end of the 2024 season, so Benson may have to wait until 2025 to see significant volume.

Dortch has been impressive in team drills, flashing his speed in a variety of different roles. Most often that has come on deep balls to take the top off the defense, though he's also worked into the middle of the field on slants. Dortch stands at only 5-foot-7, meaning he doesn't have the size typical in an every-down player, but he's had buzz throughout the offseason and has carried that into training camp.

Wilson managed 565 yards and three touchdowns in his rookie season, decent numbers when considering the Cardinals were without starting quarterback Kyler Murray for much of the campaign. However, Arizona added Marvin Harrison in the draft and Zay Jones in free agency this offseason. That clouds Wilson's role heading into his second year, though Haller projects that Wilson will hang onto the second wide receiver job.

Despite having yet to play an NFL snap, Harrison has high expectations heading into his rookie season after a strong showing during OTAs and minicamp. Haller believes the 2024 fourth overall pick's play will be more pivotal to Arizona's success than the performance of veterans James Conner and Budda Baker.

Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, then made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021, but he led the Cardinals to a 3-8 record before tearing his ACL during the 2022 season. The injury kept him out until Week 10 in 2023, but Murray performed well upon returning. Murray is now fully healthy heading into 2024 and has an intriguing assortment of young weapons with No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison at wide receiver and McBride at tight end, so the quarterback is well positioned to replicate his 2020 success, when he passed for a career-high 26 touchdowns and scored a career-best 11 times on the ground.

After Zach Ertz went on the injured list Week 7, McBride stepped into a bigger role in the passing game. He was a reliable target for quarterbacks Joshua Dobbs and Kyler Murray, and over the last 10 games of the regular season, McBride caught 66 passes on 85 targets for 655 yards and three touchdowns. His 81 receptions for 825 yards ended up leading all Arizona pass catchers last season, and with 2024 first-round wide receiver Marvin Harrison set to draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses, McBride should have more space to operate in the passing game.

In contrast to last summer, when he was recovering from a December 2022 ACL tear, the veteran quarterback is set for a full training camp. Additionally, he has a No. 1 target in Harrison that has the potential to be the best receiver Murray has ever worked with, and that has the talented signal-caller envisioning Arizona as eventually having the best offense in the league. "I think that takes us to another level," Murray said. "When you got a guy out there that is capable of winning one-on-ones ... as far as manipulating coverage and stuff like that, you got a guy out there that can do that and even if he's not open, he's open."

Weinfuss reports Harrison was quickly established as the team's No. 1 receiver, the spot he was destined for since being drafted, when he was the first wideout in drills during the open portion of minicamp. Harrison has made both the routine and difficult catches, and head coach Jonathan Gannon even described his top pick's transition to the NFL as "pretty seamless" thus far.

Conner has taken a leadership role in the locker room, and his impact off the field has been noticed by coaches and teammates. On the field, the 29-year-old Conner rushed for a career-high 1,040 yards in 2023. Conner's current contract is set to expire after 2024, and Arizona drafted running back Trey Benson out of Florida State in the 2024 NFL Draft.

After being unable to reach a long-term deal with the Cardinals last offseason, Baker registered 87 tackles over 12 regular-season games in 2023. Despite not recording an interception and registering his lowest tackle count since his rookie year, Baker was named to his sixth Pro Bowl last season. The 2024 campaign is a contract year for the 28-year-old safety, and while the Cardinals should have enough cap space to pay the Washington product next offseason, Baker's production and health will be the main factors in how much he will ultimately sign for.

Blair focuses on the increase in Dortch's production during the latter portion of last season, when Kyler Murray made his return from a 2022 torn ACL. Dortch, a one-time practice squad player, posted a 23-278-2 line on 39 targets over the last seven games of the campaign, looking much more like the player that resembled a breakout candidate after producing a 52-467-2 tally over 16 games in 2022. Blair surmises Murray will naturally target rookie first-round pick Marvin Harrison plenty, but he also figures Dortch could still warrant plenty of his quarterback's attention due to his reliability.

McBride finished his college career at Colorado State with a 90-catch season, so his 81-825-3 line in 2023 during what was his first extended NFL opportunity wasn't an outlier. The third-year pro is the unquestioned starter at tight end going into the season due to veteran Zach Ertz now being in Washington, and even with Michael Wilson and Zay Jones among some other capable receivers behind Harrison, McBride could indeed be the second-most prolific target for Kyler Murray.

Murray lost Marquise Brown earlier this offseason, but he already gained a player believed to be a generational talent in Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. via the 2024 NFL Draft. He also has talented incumbents Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Trey McBride to throw passes to, but the addition of Jones, who boasts 287 career receptions and 18 touchdowns, provides a key experienced possession receiver that could be a very trusted target in the short and intermediate areas of the field.

Wilson certainly had his moments during his 2023 rookie campaign, finishing with a 38-565-3 line on 58 targets across 13 games. The second-year pro was briefly atop the depth chart this offseason following the release of Marquise Brown, but the drafting of Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick naturally displaced Wilson from that perch. Jones' arrival has the potential to knock Wilson down another notch, given the former's NFL body of work and experience edge.

The veteran possession receiver gives Kyler Murray another weapon in the team's revamped wideout corps that's now helmed by rookie fourth overall pick out of Ohio State, Marvin Harrison Jr. Jones was released April 30 by the Jaguars after an injury-riddled 2023, but he should compete with Michael Wilson for a starting job in Arizona.

Weaver's undersized at just 169 pounds, but he had a productive college career, leading Colorado with 908 receiving yards in 2023 after consecutive seasons with at least 715 yards at South Florida. If he can bulk up a bit without a decline in quickness, Weaver has a chance to make the roster for the rebuilding Cardinals.

Collins has been used as both an inside and outside linebacker in Arizona's scheme during his three years as a pro. He most recently played the latter position and made an impact as both a pass rusher and in coverage. General manager Monti Ossenfort said that the team has discussed a potential extension with Collins, but that the team did not want to lock in a $13 million cap charge for the 2025 season. Regardless of whether a new deal ultimately gets done, Collins will play a key role on Arizona's defense in 2024.

Harrison was the first non-quarterback drafted in 2024, and the highly touted wide receiver compiled 2,474 receiving yards and 28 receiving touchdowns across the past two seasons at Ohio State. Murray has played his best football when he has a go-to wide receiver, as Murray has a 98.4 passer rating in 31 games with DeAndre Hopkins and an 87.0 rating in 34 games without Hopkins. Arizona's hoping Harrison will become the team's go-to option in the passing game, just as Hopkins was for the Cardinals from 2020 to 2022.

Ridder essentially became expendable in Atlanta after the Falcons inked Kirk Cousins to a lucrative four-year deal, and he'll now have an opportunity for an early-career reset in Arizona. Ridder won't have the pressure of having to prove his worth as a starter with Murray firmly in possession of the top job, but the trade acquisition shouldn't have too much difficulty beating out the unproven Clayton Tune, who struggled during his brief appearances as a rookie in 2023, for the top backup role.