Five Things Cardinals, Fans Can be Grateful For
Thanksgiving is always a wonderful time of the year to stuff your face with food, watch football all day, and take naps without feeling lazy. For football fans, it's one of the best days of the year.
For Arizona Cardinals fans in particular, it's a year where we should be counting the blessings we have and showing gratefulness and appreciation for them. It's a new-look franchise now with an actual direction and a belief the fan base hasn't had for a while. It's certainly worth expressing thankfulness for.
Here, we look at a small number of things to be grateful for this season for the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray is back and healthy
What a difference a quarterback can make.
The Cardinals got more than serviceable play out of Josh Dobbs this season before trading him at the deadline to the Minnesota Vikings, but it was always evident that the team needed their franchise guy back. The pulse that Murray gave to this franchise was evident in his absence and even the biggest haters of him were begging him to return.
Now that he's back, it feels like he never left.
The Cardinals may not be winning games, but they're fun to watch with Murray again and as long as fans understand there will be highs and lows as he comes back from his knee injury, they should be able to be thankful and grateful for his return to the team.
A great looking rookie class
The debut draft class for Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort has been masterful. The team has found several starters on both sides of the football and seems to have nailed their first-round pick, offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
Even beyond him, most of the rookie class has gotten playing time and has looked worthy of keeping in the fold moving forward. Between Johnson Jr., B.J. Ojulari, Michael Wilson, and Garrett Williams alone, there is no shortage of things to be thankful for from this rookie class.
Here's hoping they continue to improve as the season progresses and we look to the future.
Tons of opportunities to improve next year
When looking at the 2024 season, it's easy to get excited as a Cardinals fan when you realize just how much opportunity exists for the team to improve drastically next year. The Cards are projected north of $60 million in cap space to make some splashes in Free Agency and have six picks in the first three rounds of what looks to be an elite 2024 NFL Draft.
That kind of capital is what changes the fortunes of a franchise.
A bright future with Gannon/Ossenfort
It's been a long time since Cardinals fans could look at the leadership in the building and feel confident in the future. With the combination of Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort, it certainly feels like a great time to be a Cards fan.
While the wins aren't here just yet, we're seeing this team remain competitive in every single game and that's all you can ask for in a rebuilding team. The Cardinals have not rolled on their backs and given up but instead have gone body blow for body blow with everyone they face and even have an obscure win over the Dallas Cowboys, who appear to be heavyweights in the NFC.
If you couple these two's culture being built with all the opportunities they have to improve, the future of this franchise feels as bright as it ever has before.
Great weather
"You can't shovel sunshine, baby!!!"
Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
