One game left in the 2024 season -- even though it'll take place in 2025. Amazing that we have reached 2025 already. While the season is ending, you know the mailbag never does. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
From Kyle Crow:
"Do you think our offseason looks different if we close out 2024 2-0 vs 0-2?"
Obviously this came in prior to the Rams game, but I put it up top here because the simple answer is nope.
I have felt this all along: To me, the offseason and next season were always going to be viewed within the same prism, whether this team found a way to turn their 6-4 start into a playoff berth or whether they found themselves in the situation they are in now. GM Monti Ossenfort has been building toward 2025 since he arrived. His roster will be three seasons in, his coaches will have had a couple seasons to create the culture and stability in the playbook. The expectations were going to be high regardless. I don't see Ossenfort wavering from his long-term plan no matter how this season turned out.
From Dale Hatfield:
"Hey Darren, it's a funny shaped ball. It takes funny bounces sometimes. Some of those times you just have to say 'DAGNAB IT' and move on. No winning season but a winning culture and winning attitude are two reasons I'm optimistic. I just hate that time passes so slowly sometimes. Anyway, my question; in your humble opinion, what are the top three priorities in free agency and the draft?"
To be clear, I do think there are things that could have been different on that final play to make it work. The unlucky part was that it hung in the air long enough that a defensive back was able to dive for it and still get it. Anyway, in my opinion, I would rank needs right now -- and I am putting this through the prism of how I think the Cardinals want to operate -- as pass rusher, defensive lineman, speed receiver.
From Johnny M:
"We have a LOT of money to spend right now, even if we want to mostly build through the draft and re-sign our guys. Among the top 20-ish guys, there are several top corners and edges set to be available, and then Trey Smith/Dre Greenlaw. I know you're Monti's BFF and know exactly what he's thinking, so could you wager as guess as to which position he would be most likely to pay in free agency? Us fans appreciate this sort of thing!"
Yeah, me and Monti, just hanging out all the time, talkin' football.
Again, this is guesswork. But if we are talking about what they might be willing to spend on, I'm going to start with the lines. Both Monti and JG are trenches guys. So might they tap a more expensive offensive lineman or defensive lineman? I could see it.
From Bob Kitsos:
"Why are we throwing the ball with nearly 40 seconds remaining, two timeouts, and a first-and-goal on the five-yard line?"
Because it was a good play, the Rams gave the right look for it, and it should've worked, according to Trey McBride.
From Brian Bremer:
"Hey Darren, you see Kyler a lot more than we do. We just have Sundays. You have Monday through Friday and media scrums and all that. Do you think Kyler has progressed in six years? Just to be perfectly objective, I think he has regressed. I think he's grown in terms of his comfort interacting on camera or on the mic. But as a QB (which is what matters), he was arguably better years 1-3. But I'm not trying to project or put words in your mouth. I'm curious what your opinion is."
I think there is some revisionist history here. I do not think he has regressed. Part of the issue is that we are not comparing apples and oranges; he is in a completely different offense and that is going to look different. In his own words, they don't expect him to be Superman, and he says that because he felt previously he did have to be that guy. I will acknowledge I am surprised the deep ball doesn't seem to be the same, but I'll also say his previous deep ball was mostly to Christian Kirk and I don't think they have that kind of receiver on the roster right now. It doesn't mean Kyler is perfect, or that he can't improve, or even that there aren't younger QBs that have seemingly passed him in the NFL pecking order. But I do not think he's regressed.
From Darrell From Pinetop:
"Hey Darren (btw my little brother's name is Darren), with a losing season would it be wise to sit James Conner for the last game? There's no doubt he is a competitor and the offense looks much better with him out there, but why risk it at this point?"
I am not sure if that is a decision that will be made prior to the weekend, and it's hard to know exactly how much it is bothering Conner. But I would assume sitting him down for the finale is absolutely in play as a possibility. Plus, Michael Carter played pretty well on Saturday and you hope that maybe Trey Benson can make a return for one more game.
From Michael T:
"Hello Darren, first let me begin by wishing you, your family as well as your Cardinal family a Happy New Year and a great 2025. It's never too early to inquire your opinion on where the team should invest. It's my opinion the line of scrimmage needs the biggest investment adding another stud offensive lineman would help Kyler out the most."
As I mentioned above, I could definitely see the Cardinals adding a high-level offensive lineman either in free agency or the draft. (Or both, I suppose.) They have their left tackle, and by re-signing Hjalte Froholdt, I think the center is in place right now. But there could be mixing and matching beyond that, depending on who is available to add.
From James C:
"Just rewatched the game (I like to punish myself) and saw Beachum struggle. Jared Verse just rolled pass him. It always seems like whenever someone on offense is having a bad game, we just go 'Oh well.' Why can't we scheme him some help, or chip the defender or assist him in any way instead of accepting that Kyler is going to take four sacks and be under pressure all game?"
I haven't watched the game through that prism, but it did feel like the protection/scheme/offense figured some things out at halftime and they were better in the second half. I won't pretend to know exactly how the Cardinals attacked their pass protection plan -- because no one really knows outside their room -- but I get what you are saying. Murray was only sacked once in the second half, and it wasn't Beachum -- came on an interior stunt. The fourth-down interception, Beachum gave up some pressure, but the Rams blitzed and I don't think anything was going to help prevent pressure on that play.
From Matthew Stroh:
"Hey Darren, hope you and your family have a great New Year. I've been at Cardinals fan since I fell in love with Larry Fitzgerald and when Kurt Warner came to the Cardinals. I do think Monti is a great general manager. I know there's a lot of people that are saying man we just need to draft a new quarterback. I try to be more realistic, I do believe that we need to give Kyler Murray one more year. Hey, have you ever seen any of the GM for the Cardinals since you've been covering the team ever use Madden ratings as information to help acquire players?"
Uh, no. I dare say no GM ever has done that.
From Susan R:
"Is Kyler a Top 15 QB? Is James Connor a Top 15 RB? Is McBride a Top 5 TE? Do you think MHJ had a solid rookie season? Do you think our offensive line as a whole performed acceptably? If you answered yes to these questions (and I was generous with the numbers, I think K1 and JC are Top 10 guys and Trey is the best in the NFL) how can the Cardinals keep the same offense next season?"
I think every good head coach reviews everything after a season to see what makes sense. I think there is nuance with everything -- I think the playcalling can be better, but to say that, because you rate the players in such a way that if the playcalling was different it would've changed everything seems naive to me. I would also argue how an offense that scored 41 against a defense in one game also only scored 9 against it in a second game. Same plays, but also same players.
From Steve D:
"Happy holidays Darren, Do you anticipate the Cardinals could sign a veteran QB in the offseason to give Kyler and the QB room some competition, or do you see Murray continuing to be the unquestioned starter moving forward?"
I think that's a good question about if they will consider a veteran backup, but whether they want someone for competition? I tend to doubt that. I think, for a handful of reasons, Kyler is going to be the QB next year. I'd even argue about who, exactly, are you going to bring in that could actually beat him out? I know there are people that talk about it, but there are not many guys in the world who legitimately could do it. (And be available.)
From Jeremy Grant:
"Obviously Budda is a special talent and player, but philosophically, isn't your safety leading the team in tackles indicative that the defensive line and especially linebackers are coming up short?"
In theory, yes (See Tillman, Pat, 2000.) But in this case, Baker plays close to the line of scrimmage often and more importantly, he's a missile who shoots toward the ballcarrier incredibly fast. I don't have the stats, but I'd love to know *where* Baker makes his tackles. I bet you'd be surprised how many are for short gains.
From Ben J:
"Budda and Trey McBride are locks for the Pro Bowl, and nobody else seems to have a shot. How many times since our NFC Championship run have we had more than two players on the Pro Bowl? I remember maybe five in 2021?"
In 2015, when the Cardinals reached the NFC Championship, they had seven: Justin Bethel, Mike Iupati, Patrick Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer and Tyrann Mathieu.
In 2016, they had Peterson, Fitz and David Johnson.
In 2017 they had Peterson, Fitz, Chandler Jones and Budda Baker.
In 2020 they had Baker, Kyler and DeAndre Hopkins.
In 2021 they had Kyler, Budda, Jones, James Conner, and D.J. Humphries.
From Kenny Clarkson:
"I think it would be financially advantageous to re-sign Trey this offseason (early) because there are some big-name tight ends coming up in 2026. Better to beat them to market because the price tag will only go up. Or no?"
I don't know what exactly the Cardinals will do, but I will be surprised if McBride isn't looking for that extension this offseason. I would doubt either side would want it to go into the final year without addressing. Yes, the price tag will be healthy. But that's what you want -- players to play so well they earn big contracts.
From Kevin Gunter:
"Are the Cardinals going to draft another QB? The Kyler experience has been frustrating."
If the Cardinals were to draft another QB this year, it won't be early and it won't be someone who would unseat Murray next season. I get that people are frustrated but Murray, as I noted earlier, is better than the vast majority of quarterbacks that exist.
From Wellington S:
"Hi Urbz. I'm sending this pre-LA game, so even if we won I'm sure I'm ecstatic on game day, but as of right now I'm feeling extremely grumpy. Just read Zach Gershman's article, quoted Naquan Jones saying 'you want to go out there and put your best on film and be remembered by the last thing you put on tape. Everybody has something to prove and everybody still has goals they want to accomplish.' How come they couldn't do that LAST WEEK when it mattered in Carolina? Secondly, when can we start asking you draft questions?"
I know I brought it in Carolina. You can count on me. You'd have to ask them about Carolina, but they said there were no excuses. As for draft questions, you can ask all year long to be honest. Whether I can actually answer anything in terms of players that are out there? Whole different story. That's what the Combine is for. It's going to be a lot harder to speculate with the Cardinals in the middle of the first round. Lot more variation of what could be out there.
From Larry DeAngelis:
"Hi Darren. My question is do you think Kyler's arm strength has declined considerably this year? He doesn't appear to have any zip on the ball on 20-yard-plus throws. It reminds me a lot of what happened with Mitch Trubisky. I was at the Carolina game and noticed a big difference."
Well, he had zip on the final throw. I don't think his arm has been an issue, and he certainly hasn't been on the injury report. I do think on a lot of throws downfield he is often on the move and not setting his feet, and that will impact velocity. (I'll be honest, I don't know to what you refer to with Trubisky. I just know he never panned out.)
From Robert N:
"I understand that Jackson Barton used up his three practice-squad elevations and needed to be added to the active roster to play, but Christian Jones has been on the active roster the entire season and has been Inactive for about half the season. My question is why is Jackson Barton being used more than Christian Jones and will Christian get a chance to play?"
This came in before the Rams game, so yes, Jones was active and played for the first time in his NFL career, nine snaps, with six at right tackle in place of Barton. And to be clear, Jones was inactive every game until that one. The reason Barton has been used more is because right now, he's a better player. Simple as that. Jones has work to do in the offseason.
From Michael Tuckman:
"Thanks for all of your great work this season Darren. Hate to ask this question, but assuming the Niners beat the Cardinals, who would finish fourth in the NFC West? They would both have 2-4 division records, both 1-1 vs each other, but the Cards would be 3-9 in the conference and Niners 5-7. Only asking with respect to which team gets the fourth-place schedule. Thanks."
As I noted in my story after the Monday game, the Cardinals have clinched third because the tiebreaker after head-to-head and division record is record against common opponents. That belongs to the Cardinals.
From Paul G:
"Hey Darren. One of the reasons I think fans are down on MHJ is tied to the routes that Drew Petzing draws up for him. His routes seem to almost always take him out of bounds (vs. vertical or over the middle), leaving little opportunity to juke, break a tackle or run away from defenders. Are there any NextGen or PFF stats that exist that support or disprove my suspicions that he lacks YAC opportunities? Would you agree that this presents a growth opportunity for Petzing and the offensive coaches to stop drawing up plays that take our No. 1 WR off the playing field?"
I don't know how you would determine a lack of YAC plays for Harrison statistically. Do I think there is a growth opportunity for the coaches to expand Harrison's role/production? Sure. I don't agree with your passive-aggressive comment -- or maybe not that passive -- that Harrison is intentionally being slowed by his own team.
From Kiko C:
"Monti has said he's always looking to upgrade at (almost) every position. Which are the exceptions? QB1, our top 3 safeties, and the TE room? Before this week I would have said the RB room is set too, but injuries can ruin a lot. Everywhere else could use at least some depth."
Honestly, I don't believe there is any place Monti won't look to upgrade this offseason. Probably QB1, OK. But other than that? Never say never.
From John Turilli:
"With a 17-game season now can the league and all media consider a 1200 yard season the goal for a great season? At 58.82 yards per game to get to 1,000, I do not think that is very great. That's 71.43 as an average in a 14-game season. At 1,200, that's what we should all look at for a successful 17-game season. Barkley getting 2,000 is very good and MVP-worthy regardless of any era. It's just when a back or receiver averages are under 60 yards per game I think that is just average."
What about guys who get 1,000 in fewer games? For instance, McBride is over 1,000 but he's played only 15 games. I get what you are saying. But 1,000 is a nice round number and I don't think that's going to be changed in people's eyes anytime soon.
From David Beiber:
"Darren, when a player gets elevated from the practice squad for a game (like Michael Carter did Saturday), does he get a salary bump? Thanks, and as an old (really old) Brooklyn Dodgers fan we had an annual end-of-season saying: 'Wait til next year!' It now applies to our Cardinals."
Yes, a player who is elevated for a game gets a minimum salary game check for that week, which is always a bump compared to what they are making on the practice squad. The minimum salary is based on how many accrued seasons that player has in the NFL.
From Adam March:
"What are you going to be looking for in the last two games? Wolf was talking about in lost seasons coaches tend to experiment in the final weeks. Schemes. Players. Truth be told, I don't think there is sense in looking at Kyler's performance when there are no stakes. I'm curious about other players."
This came in before the Rams game, of course. I don't know if Gannon is about too much experimentation, although it did look like some rookies were getting a little more run on Saturday. I suppose the one person I'd like to see in the final game with a lot of snaps -- if he is healthy enough -- is Trey Benson, but I don't know if he will be healthy enough.
From Kris K:
"Happy Holidays Darren. There have been rumors a'swirlin that the team will be looking for veteran QB competition for Kyler next season. Important to clarify it is competition. What are your thoughts on that? I know there's an argument that Matt Leinart was sabotaged by Kurt Warner breathing down his neck."
My thoughts? My first thought is there are no rumors. There are people -- opinion-media types and fans -- who suggest they think it should happen, but to me a rumor is based on some kind of report, and that hasn't happened. No basis in fact whatsoever. Beyond that? Matt Leinart had every chance with Warner and after Warner retired to be that guy. He wasn't.
From Fabian Ossmann:
"Hi Darren, this is Fabian from Germany. Thanks so much for your mailbag, which I really enjoy reading. My question is one that is based on my experience and you might not appreciate all that much, since it also implies a criticism. Basically, I understand that you primarily like to deal with facts and statistics. But there isn't a Cardinals game where I don't repeatedly catch myself thinking that Marvin Harrison Jr. might be lacking the right mindset. Am I the only one who worries that he might never become a true WR1?"
Are you the only one worried? No. Do I think people should be worried? As loathe as I am to tell anyone how to feel -- it's a very personal decision -- I don't think people should be worried. The guy is a rookie. He's learning. He deserves some time. If we are still having this conversation this time next year, yeah, be worried. I don't think we will be.
From Sherreis F:
"Dear Santa, no question here, just wanted to thank the Cardinals! No matter how the season was it's always fun watching the games. I'm taking my family to the last game of the season as a Christmas present and it will be my older brother's first NFL game! I'm excited for the game and family memories. P.S. hoping Conner plays, driving two hours to see him but if not we wish him a speedy recovery!"
Happy to hear you are coming. It'll be fan appreciation game for the final home game, and truly, this organization appreciates every single one of you. I am hoping the Cardinals provide a show on the field; I know we will provide a show with the game presentation. I know the fans are frustrated with how the season turned out. It's going to make for a fascinating 2025.
