Our 5 key questions to watch as Arizona Cardinals begin training camp
- The Cardinals' training camp offers a glimpse into the team's potential for the upcoming season.
- Key storylines include the development of the Murray-Harrison Jr. connection and the performance of the revamped defensive line.
For die-hard fans, training camp is among the most exciting times on the NFL calendar. All season, the Arizona Cardinals — like their counterparts across the league — practice behind closed doors. Every tidbit of information is treated as a state secret.
Not during training camp. Over the next two weeks, the Cardinals will hold 11 practices. Ten of them will be open to fans. It’s a real, genuine window into what the team will look like Sept. 7, when they take the field in New Orleans for Week 1.
Whether you’re attending training camp in Glendale or following from afar, here are five questions to watch:
How does the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection look?
The Cardinals spent their offseason remaking the defense, with as many as six potential new starters arriving through free agency and the draft. On offense, though, they held steady, essentially bringing back the same group that finished 11th in points and yards per game last season.
That means they’ll need internal growth to improve on those numbers. The running game did its part last year, finishing second in yards per attempt. The passing game, though, was mediocre, finishing 17th in yards per attempt.
So to become an elite offense, the Cardinals need better production through the air. And to get better production through the air, they need more from the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection.
There were flashes of that last season, but there were also 10 games in which Harrison finished with fewer than 50 receiving yards. That cannot happen in Year 2.
Training camp should provide a window into whether Harrison is ready to take the next step. He and Murray need to be on the same page, which wasn’t always the case last season. He needs to be more decisive in his routes. He needs to use his added muscle to come down with more contested catches.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing also has a role here. Last year, Harrison was often used as a field stretcher, where he wasn’t particularly effective. That much was clear back in training camp, when he and Murray repeatedly tried to connect on those routes. The next two weeks could indicate whether that usage will change this season.
Is the Cardinals' defensive line as dominant as advertised?
There’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the Cardinals’ new-look defense, but it all starts up front. Last season, the Cardinals finished just 27th in pressure rate and weren’t much better against the run. It’s a testament to defensive coordinator Nick Rallis that he was able to cobble together a league-average unit (15th in points allowed) with that lack of production.
This season, he shouldn’t have to recreate that magic. In Josh Sweat, the Cardinals acquired an edge rusher who can legitimately get after the quarterback. He has 33 sacks over the past four seasons. In Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, the Cardinals have a strong pair of veterans on the interior. In Walter Nolen, they have a rookie with game-breaking potential.
Now, we get to see how it all works together. One date to circle on the calendar is Aug. 14. That’s when the Cardinals have their joint practice against the Denver Broncos, who had the league’s best offensive line last year. If their defensive line can excel against that group, it’ll indicate good things to come.
What is Darius Robinson’s role?
So much of the attention over the past six months has focused — understandably — on Harrison’s development in Year 2. But the growth of the Cardinals’ other 2024 first-round pick is equally intriguing.
A quick refresh: Robinson looked dominant at times during training camp but then missed the first 11 games of last year with a calf injury, while also dealing with personal tragedy off the field. When he returned, he never quite looked like the impact player the Cardinals hoped to add with the 27th overall pick. He created just two pressures on 120 pass rush snaps.
That pretense makes Robinson’s second year a crucial one. Six months from now, his rookie season will either be looked at as a blip on the radar or the first indication of an underwhelming draft pick.
Those two paths will begin diverging in training camp. Will he rotate in among the starters? Or will he be mired on the depth chart, beneath the new additions? And will he showcase the same explosiveness he did before the calf injury? Those are the questions to watch for over the next two weeks.
On-field and fantasy leagues: Can Trey Benson cut into James Conner’s carries?
The addition of Trey Benson with the 66th overall pick in 2024 did nothing to slow down James Conner. In his age-29 season, the veteran finished with a career-high 236 rush attempts. He owned the Cardinals' backfield.
But as the season went on, Benson began to look more comfortable spelling Conner. In Weeks 1-8, he averaged 3.9 attempts per game and 3.8 yards per carry. In Weeks 9-15, he averaged 5.3 attempts per game and 5.4 yards per carry — before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
Still, Conner was a legitimate workhorse. He was the 1, and Benson was the 2.
The question this year isn’t whether Conner will remain the starter. The Cardinals signed him to a two-year, $19 million extension for a reason. But Benson could cut into his workload, becoming the 1B to Conner’s 1A.
That’s worth watching for Cardinals fans, as it could give Arizona a more diverse backfield and help keep Conner fresh. It’s also among the most important training camp storylines for fantasy football managers. Conner is currently a fifth-round pick in 12-team leagues, while Benson is going in the 12th round.
Is Isaiah Adams ready for NFL full-time work?
One of the more intriguing decisions of the Cardinals' offseason came on the offensive line. The organization brought back left guard Evan Brown but otherwise left the unit mostly untouched, putting significant responsibility on the shoulders of right guard Isaiah Adams.
Last year, Adams — the 71st overall pick in 2024 — became a starter in Week 14. He was the third player the Cardinals started there, after Will Hernandez suffered a season-ending injury and Trystan Colon filled in for seven games.
Adams was mostly solid down the stretch, struggling a bit as a pass blocker (he allowed two sacks, per Pro Football Focus) but performing well in the running game.
This year, he’ll need to be more than solid. The Cardinals do not have another strong option to start in his place. Adams will have to be ready from Week 1, and he’ll have to elevate his game as a pass blocker.