ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals – if nothing else – will be an intriguing team to monitor through the 2024 season thanks to their talent on both sides of the ball.
We know the obvious best players in Arizona – guys such as Kyler Murray, James Conner and Budda Baker garner the most attention and perhaps rightfully so.
Yet there’s still a few guys who are kept under the radar who have the potential to truly burst on the scene in 2024.
Yahoo!’s Nate Tice went through each positional group and broke down potential breakout candidates with two Cardinals making the list:
Tice: “I am particularly bullish on the Cardinals’ offense this season (more on that in the weeks to come), and think McBride is on the cusp of stardom. He is a valid option at all three levels, with confident hands that can snatch the football and cleanly transition to a runner after the catch. And most important: Murray trusts him.
“McBride is no slouch as a blocker, either, and can hold his own in-line, but the addition of third-round tight end Tip Reiman and Elijah Higgins’ emergence should give McBride the opportunity to move off the line of scrimmage and around the formation, opening up interesting formation potentials for creative offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
“The Cardinals’ offense has a chance to be extra plucky this year, led by a strong run game. But McBride’s potential two-man game with Marvin Harrison Jr. and mindmeld with Murray will make the Cardinals’ passing game just as intriguing as the rest of this redbird renaissance.”
Tice: “Speaking of scheme, Thompson gets to play in one of the wonkiest schemes in football. The Cardinals’ defense was barren of talent in 2023, and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis threw everything at the wall to try and make life somewhat hard on offenses. Thompson’s adaptability is perfect for the type of knuckleball pitches that Rallis likes to throw (or at least had to throw in 2023). With Budda Baker already thriving as a rover in this defense, Thompson’s complementary skillset with Baker is perfect for adding layers to this interesting — notice I didn’t say good — defense.”
It’s arguable that McBride had his breakout season last year while Thompson has been under the radar for awhile now.
Still, both are extremely capable of again making a difference in 2024. Regardless of their status from a national perspective, both are key contributors for what the Cardinals hope to be a special season.