Happy Tuesday! We had yet another beautiful July day yesterday, and the forecast is looking great for today too.

I know I’ve been hung up on the weather this week but I can’t help myself, it’s been too good. I’m sure the Arizona Cardinals will appreciate the “cooler” temps as players officially report for training camp today! Some NFL talk has been long overdue, so let’s dive in and celebrate the start of what will hopefully be a great season for the Cardinals.

On to the show!

The Biggest Storylines Heading Into Cardinals Training Camp

Arizona Cardinals rookies and veterans officially report to training camp today. Football season is back.

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the Cardinals this season. For one, this is the best the roster has been under the regime of GM Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. The team has improved year over year, from a 4-13 record in 2023 to a 8-9 record in 2024.

This year, slight improvement isn’t good enough. The rebuild is officially in the rearview mirror and now the expectation is that the Cardinals make the playoffs.

There’s a lot on the line, but it’s an exciting time for a young team on the rise. With that in mind, let’s take a look at biggest storylines heading into Cardinals Training Camp.

It’s a Make or Break Year for Kyler Murray

Kyler Murray is entering his seventh season as Cardinals QB, and this year there are no excuses.

Murray tore his ACL in December of 2022 and didn’t return to play until week 10 of the 2023 season. Now he’s had a full season under his belt in between.

“Honestly they say year two (post-knee injury) is the best year, and honestly how I feel right now is as if it never happened,” Murray told PHNX Cardinals in a sit-down interview in April.

Not only is Murray healthy, but it’s his third season under Gannon and the roster is the best it’s been since Arizona made the playoffs in 2021. So the pressure is on for K1 in what many consider to be a make or break year for the franchise QB.

There Are Multiple Roster Spots Up For Grabs

The Cardinals addressed a lot of positional needs in this year’s draft and via free agent signings this summer. As always in an NFL Training Camp though, roster spots will be up for grabs and not everyone will finish the preseason with a spot on the team. Three position battles to watch in camp will be for starting linebacker, defensive line and starting cornerback.

Starting Linebacker

• Position battle: Free-agent signing Akeem Davis-Gaither versus rookie fourth-round pick Cody Simon
• Spots up for grabs: 1

The starting linebacker role previously belonged to Kyzir White, who is now a free agent. This position battle is a question of veteran versus rookie. Is Davis-Gaither’s veteran experience going to outweigh the momentum of rookie Simon, who just won a National Championship with Ohio State?

Defensive Line

• Locks: Walter Nolen III, Darius Robinson, Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson
• Positon battle: Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, Dante Stills, LJ Collier, Elijah Simmons
• Spots up for grabs: 2

The defensive line got a total revamp this offseason, but there’s now a numbers crunch for spots on the DL. With five players fighting for two spots, NFL-caliber defensive linemen will unfortunately get cut.

Starting Cornerback

• Position battle: Will Johnson, Max Melton and Starling Thomas
• Spots up for grabs: 2

With Sean Murphy-Bunting’s season-ending injury, can the Cardinals’ last two second-round picks take claim to the two spots available or will Thomas crash the party?

Marvin Harrison Jr. is Poised for a Breakout

Marvin Harrison Jr. came into his rookie season with high expectations on his shoulders. The 2024 fourth-overall pick was highly touted, and many fans felt he would be the Cardinals’ next great wide receiver. There was so much hype, it was almost impossible for the young Ohio State phenom to live up to it.

Harrison Jr. had a decent rookie year with 62 receptions, 885 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games played.

Now, MHJ has a year of NFL experience under his belt. He showed up this summer way more bulked up than last year and if he can stay healthy, is poised for a breakout year two.

Take a deeper dive: Johnny and Bo discuss the biggest questions facing the Cardinals as training camp begins.

Streak Snapped: The D-backs fell 6-3 to the Astros last night in Christian Walker’s return to Chase Field. Eugenio Suárez hit his 36th home run of the season and has now homered in three straight games. Earlier in the day, MLB announced Suárez as the NL Player of the Week.

They’re Back: Kahleah Copper (right hamstring), Satou Sabally (right ankle) and Lexi Held (pneumothorax) all returned to Mercury practice yesterday. DeWanna Bonner also participated, her first full practice since joining the team. Only Monique Akoa Makani (concussion) did not practice and remains in concussion protocol. Phoenix hosts the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday (7 pm, Arizona’s Family Sports).

No Reunion: Chris Paul isn’t returning to Phoenix after all. Yesterday, Shams Charania reported that the twelve-time All-Star agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, joining other former-Sun Bradley Beal. Phoenix, meanwhile, has reportedly had some dialogue with Ben Simmons according to the latest Steinline.

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

All-Star Game, 36th home run, NL Player of the Week… Not a bad stretch for Geno!