Is Drew Petzing’s heir apparent already on Cardinals coaching staff?
Jan 7, 2025, 11:38 AM
Retaining 100% of his coaching staff was a huge plus for Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon coming off his first year in Arizona.
Despite some outside interest, no one was going anywhere in 2024.
This time around, though, the heat has turned up when it comes to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
After being in the spotlight midseason as a potential head-coaching candidate amid Arizona’s 6-4 stretch, the Chicago Bears stoked the fire with their reported interview request of the OC — and a boatload of others — this offseason.
In Gannon’s eyes, it’s a natural next step for Petzing after the head coach hand-picked him with quarterback development in mind.
“He can get the best out of people. He’s extremely intelligent. I think he knows what’s going on, and he’s had some good experiences around a lot of good guys. I’m probably not one of them, but he’s been trained the right way,” Gannon said Monday.
“He is intelligent and he’s got a growth mindset. He knows where he’s really strong and where he needs help. I think he’d do a really good job.”
Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride on the reports surrounding OC Drew Petzing and Chicago's head-coaching vacancy: https://t.co/JZxgrAsMqO pic.twitter.com/1RuNDjWR5F
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) January 6, 2025
It’s far from a given that Petzing will be running the show in Chicago when next season rolls around. There are a lot of high-level candidates with some holding prior head-coaching experience.
But it’s still a possibility — especially given what Chicago GM Ryan Poles is looking for — and a circumstance Gannon saw coming early on in his Arizona tenure.
“The day I got here, I was thinking of future successors,” the head coach said. “You have to constantly. I try to live in the present, but the role that I’m in now, we have really good people.
“We have multiple guys on the staff in my opinion that are going to be head coaches. In my seat, you better be thinking about that and have some answers.”
As for those potential answers, Gannon at the very least has some internal options to ponder.
Potential internal OC candidates for Cardinals
Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Drew Terrell
Given the coaching staff’s current makeup, all signs point to Terrell being a leader in the clubhouse for potential internal interviews.
The Arizona native and Hamilton High School alum was a big part in Marvin Harrison Jr.’s development while also working closely with quarterback Kyler Murray and other parts of the offense this past season.
Terrell has wasted little time climbing the ranks after getting his first NFL crack as an offensive quality control coach for the Carolina Panthers from 2018-19.
Moving into a coordinator role seems like the next move in his progression and it wouldn’t be all that surprising.
Quarterback coach Israel Woolfork
A direct extension to Murray, Woolfork has gained respect and confidence from the signal caller in their two years working together.
That quarterback-coach connection could be an important piece to the puzzle in what is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Murray.
He’s got extended time working alongside Petzing, too, thanks to their two-year stint in Cleveland together.
Pass game specialist Spencer Whipple
The team’s Jack of all trades has been a fixture in Arizona since coming to town as an offensive quality control coach under former lead man Kliff Kingsbury. Since then, he’s held a number of roles, from co-passing game coordinator to fill-in running backs coach. He also took over play-calling duties in a 2021 after Kingsbury tested positive for COVID-19. Arizona beat Cleveland, 37-14, while amassing 352 yards of total offense.
The familiarity with Murray is there. And it’s clear both Gannon and Petzing view Whipple in high regard for the work he’s put in across different position groups.
There’s likely still some climbing up the ranks for Whipple to do, but he should at the very least get a look if changes are needed.
Is Drew Petzing the first domino in Cardinals departures?
While a lot of the talk is centered around Petzing and the Bears, Gannon feels like it’s only a matter of time before teams start calling on defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.
“When I say we have a bunch of guys in there that are going to be head coaches, he is one of them. I know that,” Gannon said Monday. “From a development standpoint, from a schematic standpoint about understanding the game, defense and offense. This guy got hired multiple times, by me I guess, but by Zim (Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer) first.
“He’s ascended extremely quickly because he is talented. I’ll say this, I think I’m a hard worker, but there’s no one that works harder than this guy. Point blank. He is the hardest worker we have on our staff. I’ll tell anyone that. When you put those together: a lot of talent, a lot of work ethic and a growth mindset, typically you can become a good coach. He has it all.”
Given what Rallis’ unit put on tape despite talent deficiencies and injuries, Gannon’s thinking isn’t farfetched.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Arizona’s defense improved as the season went on, allowing just 19.6 points per game from Weeks 7-18. That was good enough for the fourth best mark in the league. The unit also gave up the fewest overall touchdowns (20) and passing touchdowns (10) in that span.
A lot of that can be credited to Rallis’ creativity with a subpar on-paper depth chart and how he utilized Arizona’s top playmakers like Budda Baker. When you can get even more out of the now seven-time Pro Bowler, you know you’re doing something right.
