The Cardinals have now officially moved on from their 2024 season loss and the frustrating 8-9 win-loss record. They started off the 2025 offseason by adding free agents to Kyler Murray‘s squad. And few days back, the Cardinals added only one offensive guard, that is Hayden Conner, and inducted six defensive guys. The wait is now for the mini-camps and training camps for the 2025 season. But before the training camp starts, the Cardinals’ HC has sent a clear message to Murray’s locker room. In fact, it’s a genuine demand. 

The HC, Jonathan Gannon, only expects the guys to be better than they were in 2024. When Gannon was asked about his star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., HC first started off by saying, “When the staff is in place, the jump from Year 1 to Year 2, I think that’s where guys make a huge jump.” He then turned his talk to Marvin Harrison Jr. “This guy played unbelievable ball for us, but if you talk to him, he’d be the first to tell you, like, ‘I need to get better at these couple things.’” He also added, “Man, he has gone to work on them. He looks awesome out there right now. I’m really excited to see where his game goes.” And if we look at the progress he has made, HC is expecting the right thing.

To talk more about Marvin Harrison’s 2024 season, he has made 62 receptions at 116 targets and landed eight TDs after covering 885 yards. The HC thinks a guy like Harrison Jr. can reach great heights the next season with the skills and discipline he has. And also want other guys to follow what the rookie WR is doing to get better for the upcoming season. 

That’s why the HC said, “The guy’s a ready-made pro. He does all the right things. He was here the whole season.” He HC also added, “I’m not gonna speak truth into the universe, but just wait until this guy plays this year.” But is the offensive side’s picture good if we see the rankings? If we look at FOX’s offense rankings for the 2024 season, Kyler Murray’s team is in a good position, that is, at 11th rank. So, they just need to channelize the right amount of coaching to the offensive side to get it better. But what about the defensive side of the locker room?

 On defense, they ranked 27th. Now, you can understand clearly why Jonathan Gannon’s front office selected six defensive players out of seven draft picks. In the 2024 season, they allowed 342.5 yards per game while also allowing 40 touchdowns to the opponent’s offense. So, that’s why they have added defensive beasts, followed by HC Jonathan Gannon’s demand for playing hard next season. 

But Kyler Murray’s team completed their defensive squad only after drafting an undrafted NFL prospect. Let’s dive in to know more. 

Kyler Murray’s team gets Tennessee’s defensive beast 

When the three days of the 2025 NFL draft got over, none of the NFL teams picked up Tennessee Volunteers defensive tackle Elijah Simmons. The 23-year-old defensive tackle has played six years for only one team during his college days and successfully landed his career in the city of Arizona. If you look at his 2024 NCAA stats, he has made only 11 tackles out of which 4 were solo. 

Don’t judge him too early, looking at his stats. According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, “Simmons has the build of a huge tree stump and is highly explosive off the snap. Despite seeing a limited snap count, there’s plenty of evidence of centers and guards straining to survive the unique carnage he can create. He unleashes knock-back power at the point of attack and can disrupt move-blocking schemes.” He also has a good strength of hands and is able to beat reach blocks. 

Obviously, the NFL combine performance by Elijah Simmons was not good; he went below average in the final tally. But the Cardinals have added him with a unique purpose, and that would be developing the rookie UDFA defensive tackle into a monster through catching. Let’s see if he can make a space in Kyler Murray’s 53-man roster.