Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort not satisfied with Year 2, values experience for young core
Dec 27, 2024, 12:24 PM | Updated: 12:37 pm
Two statements can be true for the Arizona Cardinals: A young core of the team has received beneficial experience playing in meaningful football games, and at the same time being eliminated from the playoffs has been a disappointment based on their outlook six weeks ago.
General manager Monti Ossenfort has wrestled with that quandary, telling Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Friday he believes that experience for the younger players will develop the team in a significant way.
“Not where we wanted to be,” Ossenfort said. “But taking a step back and looking to where we’ve come and the gains that we’ve made, we’ve played a lot of young players this year. We’ve had a lot of development at a lot of positions across the board, we’ve had a lot of guys step up for us when there’s been injuries and opportunities that presented themselves and guys have filled in and really took steps in their own development.
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“Playing games that really meant something and having our team feel the pressure and feel the anticipation of playing in games that meant something really up until just before Christmas. Certainly not satisfied with where we are, but also want to put things in perspective.”
The Cardinals are approaching a critical offseason to build a team capable of making the leap to playoff status in Year 3 under Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon.
Arizona has the fifth-youngest team in the NFL by snap-weighted age at 26.6 years old, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. Only Jacksonville, Las Vegas, the New York Giants and Green Bay are younger.
In Year 2, the Cardinals had five first- or second-year players finish in the top 10 for offensive snaps and four rookies or sophomore make up the top 11 on defense.
Paris Johnson Jr.’s season is a success considering he proved himself as the left tackle going forward after spending his rookie year on the right side of the line. Garrett Williams continued to put himself in conversations among the most effective cornerbacks in the league. Tight end Trey McBride is in his third year, but at 25 years old he has already established himself as a top-echelon tight end likely to surpass 1,000 receiving yards.
“We’ve got a good young group of core players,” Ossenfort said. “I think there’s no substitute for live game reps. The last two years, we’ve had a lot last year’s rookie class and now this year’s rookie class guys bank a lot of reps.
“Once we’ve turned the page on this season and we move into the 2025 season, now you’re talking about second- and third-year players along with the veterans we have on our team that ends up forming the core of of who you want to be and the team that you want to be.”
Ossenfort looking for growth from Marvin Harrison Jr. to end season
Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has not consistently lived up to the No. 4 pick billing as a rookie, a roller coaster season as he described it. His connection with quarterback Kyler Murray has come under scrutiny from his shutout in Week 1 through last week, as Harrison caught 50% of his targets or fewer for the fifth straight game. His development given the asset used to add him is of utmost importance to Arizona going forward, and that starts with the last two games.
“We’ve seen them clicking, we’ve seen those two not be on the same page sometimes,” Ossenfort said. “Both of those two have spoken on that and their frustrations and their desires to get it to another level. It will get there, but it’s going to take time, and it’s going to take more reps and and more live action that they’re going to get these next two games.”
What has Ossenfort seen from Kyler Murray?
The general manager said Murray’s performance comes down to consistency, as does that of the entire team, and that is what he wants to see in the last two games before the offseason.
“When we are rolling along at our best and when Kyler is playing at a high level, I think we’ve shown that we can compete with just about anybody,” Ossenfort said. “We’ve also seen when we’re not playing at a high level and when we’re turning the ball over and not taking the ball away and those things, we can lose to anybody.”
The Cardinals are not shutting it down after being eliminated from playoff contention, as Murray is going to keep getting opportunities to finish on a better note.
On what has happened over these past five week (1-4), Ossenfort went right to the turnover battle.
The Cardinals have turned the ball over seven times in those four losses, twice in each of the last three. Murray has six interceptions since the bye week. The defense has only taken the ball away twice in that span, and the additional possessions they have allotted opponents has proven fatal in some of these games.
“We’re going to continue to emphasize the ball, and it’s a big part of what we talk about, explosive plays and the ball,” Ossenfort said. “We’re going to continue to preach that and continue to drill that home with our team and make improvements both in the offseason and then as we start out next season.”
