Arizona Cardinals training camp preview: Key dates, notable additions, biggest storylines

With 2024 NFL training camps just around the corner, it’s time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Christian Gonzales has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the NFC West.

Catch up on the Arizona Cardinals’ offseason developments and 2024 outlook below.

Training Camp Dates/Information

• Players report: July 23 (rookies and veterans)
• Location: State Farm Stadium | Glendale, Arizona (fan information)

Notable Roster Changes

Preseason Schedule

• Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints | 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 10
• Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts | 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17
• Week 3: at Denver Broncos | 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 25

2024 Schedule Notes

• The Cardinals have three consecutive home games during Weeks 2-4.
• The Cardinals are set to face 2023 playoff teams in five out of their initial six matches. They are among the three teams to start the season with three successive games against such teams.
• Kyler Murray will face his former head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, in Week 4, when the Cardinals host the Commanders. Kingsbury is in his first season as Washington’s offensive coordinator.

— NFL Research

What You Need To Know

1) Kyler Murray enters training camp fully healthy now nearly two years removed from the torn ACL he sustained during the 2022 campaign. Murray, who missed the first nine games of the 2023 season, had a 3-5 record in his return to action, doing enough to earn a full endorsement from head coach Jonathan Gannon early this year. Murray earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2020-2021, and some of his teammates believe he can return to top form after going through the offseason program with him. It should only help that Murray has been able to work with second-year OC Drew Petzing for a full offseason and familiarize himself with the scheme. With the QB in good health alongside a new-look receiving corps, there’s a lot of positivity surrounding the offense heading into camp.

2) Rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has yet to take a snap in an NFL game yet, but he already has his teammates raving about his potential. Michael Wilson described Harrison as “very perspicacious.” Murray said last month that Harrison takes the Cardinals’ offense “to another level.” Arizona needs the hype to translate on the field after parting with its two most targeted wide receivers from 2023 (Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore) this offseason. Harrison’s ability to get off the line and make contested catches gives the team an offensive threat it has lacked since DeAndre Hopkins was released prior to last season. The No. 4 overall pick’s progress in training camp will be something to monitor, even though all signs indicate he could be a true WR1 out of the gate.

3) How will carries be distributed in the Arizona backfield? James Conner ran for a career-high 1,040 yards in 2023. He’s missed four games in each of the last two years and has never started more than 13 games in a season, though. Conner views last season as “the floor, not the ceiling” for his production going forward, but in April the Cardinals spent a third-round pick on Trey Benson, who rushed for 1,896 yards and 23 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Florida State. Benson enters camp as Conner’s backup, but he has the ability to contribute in both the run and pass game. The rookie’s progress in training camp will go a long toward determining how much of a workload the team will give him at the outset of his rookie campaign.

4) One of the bright spots for the Cardinals last season was the development of Trey McBride in Year 2. He led Arizona in targets (106), receptions (81) and receiving yards (825). McBride experienced a surge in production when Murray returned midway through 2023, and their partnership posed a problem for opposing defenses. From Week 10 on, McBride tied for the lead among tight ends with 28 receptions for first downs. The hope now is that McBride’s chemistry with Murray develops into a strong QB-TE connection for a full season.

5) In Jonathan Gannon’s final season as the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator, his unit led the NFL with 70 sacks and gave up the second-fewest yards. Gannon’s defense last season in Arizona was a different story. The Cardinals only managed 33 sacks, the third-fewest in the league, and ranked 31st in points allowed (26.8). Arizona now looks to newcomers like defensive linemen Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and first-round pick Darius Robinson to disrupt the opposition. The Cardinals also strengthened their secondary with Sean Murphy-Bunting and rookie Max Melton. On paper, Gannon’s defensive unit appears to be headed in the right direction.