Cardinals expect explosive offense with healthy Kyler Murray, rookie weapons

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing quickly turned his group into one of the most physical running units in the NFL during his first season in Arizona.

Veteran back James Conner finished No. 6 in the league with 1,040 rushing yards in 2023. Electric with the ball in his hands, quarterback Kyler Murray ran for 244 yards in just eight games after rehabbing from ACL knee surgery. In Murray’s early-season absence, fill-in QB Joshua Dobbs ran for 258 yards before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings.

As a team, the Cardinals averaged 139 rushing yards a contest during the regular season, No. 4 in the NFL.

“That was the floor,” Connor told reporters when asked about last year’s performance. “I want that to be the lowest I rush for in my career going forward. I’ve got a lot of work to put in, but that’s the floor, not the ceiling.”

In the passing game, Petzing oversaw the development of Trey McBride into one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league. McBride finished with 81 receptions for 825 yards and three scores last season.

Despite all of that, the Cardinals averaged just 19.4 points per game in 2023, tied for No. 25 in the NFL. Arizona finished No. 14 in the league on third-down conversions (39%) and averaged just 185 passing yards per contest, No. 26 in the league.

Arizona’s 38 passing plays of 20-plus yards last season ranked fifth-worst in the NFL.

The evolution of Petzing’s offense in Year 2 includes building on the team’s physical running game and creating more explosive plays in the passing game. To help accomplish that, the Cardinals added do-everything receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and running back Trey Benson in this year’s draft.

Those two players, along with a healthy Murray having a full offseason to learn the nuances of the offense, should lead to more consistency in 2024.

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Arizona drafted Harrison No. 4 overall and signed Zay Jones in free agency to improve the passing game on the perimeter. Both are big targets who can create separation down the field for chunk plays.

To continue their success running the football, the Cardinals selected Florida State product Benson in the third round, giving Arizona an explosive, home-run threat who pairs nicely with the bulldozing Conner.

Along with those two, the Cardinals have versatile performers in free-agent addition DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter.

“You certainly get excited when you add good players,” Petzing said. “That’s a big part of the offseason. But I think the real excitement is going to come when we’re doing it out on the field and I can see it come to fruition, and really trying to put it together and watching it go operate.”

Part of that for Petzing will be having a full offseason with Murray. Last year, after rehabbing his knee, Murray played the last eight games of the regular season. He had no offseason to work on the field learning the intricacies of Petzing’s offense.

Murray will get that chance now.

“It is definitely a lot more fun getting to coach him in May than in mid-November,” Petzing said. “Now, we get to work on things. When he hit the field [last year] it was like, ‘Here’s the game plan, we got to go play.’ Now it’s like, ‘Hey, are you taking the right drop?’ or ‘Are your eyes in the right place? And did you feel that play the way we wanted it to be felt?’

“All of those conversations can happen now, so I’m certainly excited about that.”

Petzing is also excited about Benson, who, at No. 66 overall, was the second running back taken in this year’s draft. His 4.39-second 40-yard time was the third fastest by a running back at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Benson finished with 1,896 rushing yards and 24 total touchdowns in two seasons at Florida State after transferring from Oregon. He had no fumbles in college and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

“He’s explosive,” Petzing said. “I think you see the quickness, the feet, the speed, the home-run ability. … I’m really excited to get him in here, get him competing with the rest of the guys and get him out on the field.”

Last season, Benson had four plays of 50-plus yards and had both an 80-plus yard run and an 80-plus yard reception, becoming the first player in Florida State history to accomplish that feat.

And he can return kicks. In 2022, he had a 93-yard kick return for a score for the Seminoles. Benson said teammates nicknamed him after a famous movie character because of his ability to run away from defenders in the open field.

“Once I get to the second level, my teammates used to call me ‘Forrest Gump,’” Benson said. “That’s all I’m thinking about: Don’t get caught. Just run. Hit your head on the goal post.”

Benson should fit right in with Petzing’s running game. Last season, Arizona led the league with 23 runs of 20-plus yards and finished No. 2 in the league with five runs of 40-plus yards.

Along with the evolution of the scheme, improving connectivity has also been a focus for Arizona this offseason. Murray, whose leadership skills have been criticized in the past, has spent time with his teammates away from the field and has taken on more of a vocal role, working to build a stronger bond that should lead to more production on the field.

“He’s the leader,” Conner said about Murray. “And I say that because he’s coming into it. When I got to Arizona, it was kind of like, ‘Who’s the leader here?’ And sometimes it’s just the product of the environment. But that’s no longer the environment here.

“He’s making an effort to bring the guys close. He’s bringing the offensive linemen with him. And so, he’s trying. And that’s all we can do. He’s trying his best, and that’s what he’s doing. And it’s been awesome to see.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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