Arizona
Second Year Arizona Cardinals Who Must Step Up in 2025
In the process of rebuilding the Arizona Cardinals from the husk left over at the end of the Steve Keim-era, general manager Monti Ossenfort has poured his energies into building a talented, young team through the draft.
The most critical component of that process could well be the twelve player class from 2024 that is now entering their second year in the NFL.
Much is made every offseason of the need for second year players to take a “leap” forward in their play and it is a fairly well-documented and accepted reality that the most noticeable difference in quality of play for many athletes occurs between their rookie and second years as they are still in their athletic prime but getting more used to the speed of the professional game.
From the mentioned 2024 draft class there are four players in particular who will need to put forth higher quality play this season for the Cardinals to have success as a team.
1. WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The biggest name, and the one who entered his rookie year with the highest expectations, is undoubtedly Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison Jr. was immediately thrown to the wolves as a young player as the clear cut No. 1 receiver for the Cardinals and the inherent pressure of that designation clearly impacted him in some capacity and opposing defenses did not hold off at all.
As a superstar receiver from Ohio State he entered the league with a standing reputation and a star pedigree as the son of Colts legend Marvin Harrison.
It is important to note that Harrison Jr.’s rookie season was not bad, it just fell short of what were admittedly unfair expectations for a player’s first year as a pro.
Still, the point remains that he was drafted to be a star and the bedrock of the Cardinals passing game. If the team truly wants to improve that area of their offense, and they absolutely must to have sustained success in 2025 a lot of that runs through the anticipated improvement of Harrison Jr.
2. DE Darius Robinson
The second of the Cardinals first-round picks in 2024, Darius Robinson is starting this season in a different place than the other players on this list.
Last season was a rough one for Robinson. Dealing with an injury kept him off the field the majority of his rookie year, which compounded with the unexpected passing of his mother, led to low-impact output from the 27th overall pick.
Coaches have spoken about 2025 as a sort of extension of Robinson’s rookie year with the added benefit that he has seen an NFL field and already has a feel for what the game is like at this level. This has raised expectations that his emergence in a full-time roll this season should be without many of the normal rookie growing pains.
Hopefully, there is truth to this because the Cardinals defensive line needs a player like Robinson who can emerge as a potential long-term solution and anchor that group. The team put a lot of resources into that area in free agency by bringing in Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, but as older vets they will not be around forever.
A successful season from Robinson does not necessarily require a gaudy stat line but he does need to establish himself this year as a keystone of the Cardinals defensive line.
3. CB Max Melton
The loss of Sean Murphy-Bunting for the season makes the improvement of Max Melton even more imperative for the overall success of the Cardinals secondary.
Melton got a lot of playing time as a rookie, coming in and out of the lineup but appearing in all 17 games. In those appearances he exhibited the gamut of what is expected out of rookie cornerbacks adjusting to the NFL but he finished with a very respectable 51 tackles and 5 passes defensed.
Now, Melton looks to be slotted in for a starting role on the outside opposite of rookie Will Johnson. That is a lot of pressure for two very young players at what is arguably the toughest position in football outside of quarterback.
Thankfully, slot corner Garrett Williams has emerged as one of the truly elite players in the league at that spot but success for Arizona’s defense will require high level play out of Melton who will hopefully be able to not only take a big step forward in his own development but help out the young Johnson on the other side.
4. Isaiah Adams
The Cardinals did not re-sign Will Hernandez this offseason (as of this writing) which does leave a question mark at starting right guard.
After Hernandez’s injury in 2024, then rookie Isaiah Adams found himself on the field quite a bit finishing the year with over 400 snaps. In those early appearances there were some evident issues with his play, most notably in pass protection that slowly did improve throughout the year.
Now, ahead of 2025 it seems like the starting right guard spot is Adams’ to lose as coaches have been praising his offseason training, noting his improved strength and dedication to improving on his weaknesses.
With the other four starting offensive line spots filled by veterans who been around the block, the biggest question for the position group is at right guard and it is imperative for the success of that unit that Adams, the supposed frontrunner for that spot, grows tremendously from year one to year two.
San Diego State has put itself into an unenviable and unusual position. The Aztecs are going to have to win the Mountain West Conference to get a spot in the NCAA Tournament because their non-conference resume is nowhere near as impressive as it usually is.
SDSU lost 68-45 to the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Saturday night on a “neutral” floor in Phoenix, AZ. It was the lowest point total for the Cats this season. But, as has been their Achilles heel for years now, SDSU’s usual stellar defense doesn’t matter much when they can’t score the basketball.
They looked great for the first 18 minutes. Tae Simmons made a layup to give the Aztecs a 27-20 lead and the Aztecs were in control of the #1 team in the country. The Aztecs made just three of their next 21 field goal attempts, allowing the Wildcats to methodically take control.
Arizona finished the half on an 8-0 run and made things infinitely worse after the break, outscoring the Aztecs 40-18 over the final 20 minutes. For the game SDSU shot just 7% (1-for-14) from 3-point range but it wasn’t so much the errant shots that led to the blowout. The Aztecs held AZ to 38% from the field and 24% from 3-point land.
The problem was on the backboards. The Wildcats outrebounded the Aztecs 52-28, collecting a whopping 20 offensive rebounds and keeping San Diego State from getting any runout buckets that might get their offense going.
Add to this setback a 40-point loss to 2nd-ranked Michigan (which in reality doesn’t look all that bad since the Wolverines also beat Gonzaga by 40 and Auburn by 50) and an ugly home loss to Troy and SDSU is just 6-4 on the young season. They have one more non-conference game at home against Whittier on Monday afternoon before diving fully into Mountain West play with a trip to San Jose State on December 30.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kenny Dillingham insisted he had no interest in leaving Arizona State. All he wanted was for his program and assistant coaches to get the resources they needed to be successful.
Dillingham got his wish on Saturday, signing a five-year contract extension that will raise his salary to an average of $7.5 million per year and increase the salary pool for his assistants to $11 million — one of the highest in the Big 12.
“The support of this season has stepped up a ton. Our university stepped up,” Dillingham told reporters following Saturday’s practice. “What I was fighting for was that long-term commitment to our staff, to our program, to the commitment to try be competitive in this crazy world (of college football).”
Dillingham had been reportedly in the mix for numerous high-profile jobs, insisting after a win against West Virginia on Nov. 15 that he wasn’t going anywhere. The 35-year-old coach’s name popped up again when Michigan fired Sherrone Moore last week and Dillingham was honest about using the top job at Michigan to push Arizona State to support the football program even more.
“This was always the goal; secure generational leadership right here at ASU,” Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini said in a statement. “We have the right coach and want him to have the tools to do his job in a way that keeps building excitement, connection and winning at ASU. Not only is the Valley activated, but the Sun Devils are about to ignite!”
Dillingham has certainly revitalized Arizona State’s program and its fan base.
The former Oregon offensive coordinator and Arizona State alum became the youngest coach in the FBS when he was hired at 32 and, after an injury-plagued first season, led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 championship — their first conference title since 1996. Arizona State went on to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time, earning Dillingham a five-year contract extension that bumped his salary to $5.8 million the first year of the contract.
Injuries hit Arizona State hard this season — notably quarterback Sam Leavitt and All-American Jordyn Tyson — but Dillingham still had his team in contention for a return trip to the Big 12 title game until late in the season.
The Sun Devils sold out every home game this season and finished the regular season 8-4, earning a spot in the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl against Duke.
Now Dillingham and his program have more resources to keep the momentum going.
“Our staff wins. I’ve said this over and over,” Dillingham said. “Them and our players are what have got us to this point. They’re a vital piece and I think they deserve to be taken care of.”
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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely has switched his congressional campaign from the East Valley to Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, joining a crowded Republican primary in Scottsdale.
The move comes after President Donald Trump endorsed former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Fifth Congressional District last month, sending Feely a message to run in a different district.
“After nearly a quarter century in professional football, I know that no player is more important than the well-being of the team,” Feely said in a statement released Friday. “In this moment, the best way I can serve our GOP team is to defend this crucial Republican seat.”
Feely joins businessman John Trobough, state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and current Arizona Republican Party leader Gina Swoboda in the GOP primary. Swoboda has already secured Trump’s endorsement.
Political experts believe Feely’s move, following Trump’s advice, could lead to another situation where Trump endorses two candidates in the same race.
The First Congressional District seat opened when Congressman David Schweikert announced his run for governor. Republicans view the district as a must-win seat.
The winner of the Republican primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the general election. The district is one of two swing districts in Arizona that could determine which party controls the House.
Trump has previously endorsed multiple candidates in Arizona Republican primaries, including Rep. Andy Biggs and businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson in the governor’s race.
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