ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals have a plethora of questions to answer ahead of training camp – which begins Tuesday when players report.

The Cardinals’ 4-13 finish left gaps to fill on both sides of the ball following last season, and while the front office did their best to cover most up to some degree, hope around the desert of improvement will only carry true if the reinforcements can make good on their potential.

NFL.com says Arizona’s biggest challenge resides on the defensive line:

“Arizona was bitten by the injury bug up front last year, but finishing at the bottom in run defense can’t happen again. Neither can finishing bottom three in sacks,” wrote Eric Edholm.

“The team signed veterans Justin Jones , Bilal Nichols and Khyiris Tonga to shore up the interior and drafted Darius Robinson and Xavier Thomas to add juice on the edges. But is it enough? Further development from within also is needed.

“The Cardinals have a slew of capable role players, but it would be nice if Dante Stills took another step forward and someone from a deep group of edge rushers (Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck, Victor Dimukeje, Jesse Luketa, Cameron Thomas and BJ Ojulari) emerged as a difference-maker.

“Still, the depth and versatility up front appear to have been upgraded this offseason.”

Edholm is on the money with essentially everything he said.

The Cardinals suffered major problems last year up front, though general manager Monti Ossenfort believed an entire new lineup was needed in the trenches after what he did in the draft/free agency.

It’s comfortable to believe the Cardinals will improve along the defensive line, though it is a question of exactly how much better they’ll be in 2024.

In terms of challenges, Arizona’s ability to control the line of scrimmage will dictate how everything else plays out – whether that’s making running lanes free for linebackers, helping edge players get one-on-one matchups or applying pressure to help out the secondary in the pass game – if the Cardinals can make strides right where the ball is snapped, everything else will have a better chance to fall in place.

PHOENIX – While the future Democratic nominee is uncertain following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not see reelection, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly’s name has popped up as a potential candidate for both president and vice president.

Who is Mark Kelly?

Mark Kelly is a moderate, a retired NASA astronaut and married to former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Kelly was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020 when he defeated Republican Martha McSally.

‘Best image of all the electorate’

Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, thinks Kelly could be the perfect fit on the Democrats’ presidential ticket.

“Mark Kelly has fantastic numbers of all the elected officials in the entire state of Arizona. Mark Kelly has the best image of all the electorate,” he said. “We have four months left. I think there’s gonna be some more twists and turns from now until election day, so buckle up, hold on and grab your popcorn.”

Arizona is one of five states that have a “resign to run” law,” meaning someone holding public office would have to resign that position before running for another office.

However, that law does not affect federal office holders, so it wouldn’t apply to Sen. Kelly if he decides to make a move. 

Kelly endorses Harris as Democratic nominee

Kelly released a statement after President Biden announced he was dropping out, saying in part that he “couldn’t be more confident” that Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump in the 2024 Election.

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — For some voters, it’s honorable and selfless for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race while other say it’s not. For young voters in Arizona, it’s about becoming informed and raising their voice for issues that matter to them too.

Armonee Jackson is the president of the Young Democrats of Arizona. When she heard about President Biden’s decision, she quickly thought about the next move.

“Our plan has been to stick behind Biden because we know the consequences of Trump getting another four years,” she said.

Other voters like Carson Carpenter, the president of the College Republicans at Arizona State University, said this move shows the chaos and upheaval of the Democratic Party.

“If he’s not cognitive to run for president, then how can he be the president, it does not make sense,” he said. “They knew he wasn’t competent and they make this decision 107 days out. That’s very irresponsible.”

Just moments after President Biden announced his decision, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the democratic nominee.

“I personally stand ten toes behind that,” Jackson said. “We just want someone that’s going to fight for the people.”

And while both Jackson and Carpenter stand on opposite sides of the aisle, they agree it’s important for young people’s voices to be heard.

“It boils down to we are going to have to clean up whatever mess it is,” Jackson said.

Carpenter encourages more young people to get involved with politics, especially after Former President Trump’s and President Biden’s age fueled many political discussions.

“I believe there are enough young successful people in this country where if they wanted to take true initiative on this issue, they should be running for office,” he said.

Jackson said it’s important for each young person to vote this year.

“It’s super important every vote matters,” Jackson said.