When Health Fails: How Injuries Ruined the Cardinal Offense This Season
It’s Week One of the NFL season. The Cardinals just beat the Saints in a close game. The future of the season seems bright for the Cardinals. This is the season that Kyler Murray will prove himself. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be more involved in the offense. James Conner is coming off two 1000-yard seasons and is healthy. What could go wrong? Apparently everything. The Cardinals proved this season that NFL teams can not win Super Bowls with their backups. They have tried their best with the talent they have. With three wins for the entire season, it is clear that there is little to no talent left.
Kyler Murray Injury
In Week Five of the season, Kyler Murray suffered a mid-foot sprain. This was only supposed to keep him out for 4-6 weeks. The Cardinals' coaching staff was optimistic that he would return by the end of the season; however, this did not prove to be the case. Just recently, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon announced that Murray would not come back this season. Without Kyler Murray, the Cardinals have had one win and 10 losses. Murray, not being on the field, has definitely left a hole to fill. However, Kyler Murray has yet to prove himself as a starting quarterback. This is his seventh season as quarterback for the Cardinals, and he has only gone to the playoffs once. That is not good enough for Cardinal’s fans. There has been a lot of speculation on the Cardinals either releasing Kyler Murray or trading him. However, these would both hurt the Cardinals financially. If the Cardinals trade him, they lose $17.9 million. If they release him after June 1st, they would lose $50.5 million in 2026 and $7.2 million in 2027. If Kyler Murray had not gotten injured, he could have proven that he deserves to stay on the Cardinals. However, it seems like he may have lost the opportunity.
James Conner Injury
In Week Three of the season, James Connor suffered an ankle injury when his foot landed beneath an opposing team’s tackler. James Conner had led the Cardinals in rushing yards ever since he got to the team in 2021. He had gotten 1,000 rushing yards in his last two seasons. He is the backbone of the Cardinals’ offense and is the reason why the Cardinals are not a pass-only offense. Conner’s absence was felt when the Cardinals played the Titans in Week Five of the season. In this game, Emari Demercado, who was filling in for Conner, had a huge run from the Cardinal’s 29-yard line to the one-yard line, where he extended his arm so that the Titans’ defender could get it. The Titans’ defender then knocked the ball out of his hands, and it fell out of the back of the end zone. It was then the Titans' ball. The Cardinals ended up losing this game by a point. If James Conner were the one running this ball, this never would have happened. Part of what makes James Conner so valuable is that he is an NFL veteran who does not make stupid mistakes. Without James Conner this season, the Cardinals have won a single game and lost 12. He is a strength for the Cardinals. However, being in the league so long does have its downsides. James Conner is turning 31 next year, making him an injury-prone, older running back. His future is uncertain with the Cardinals. He is still under contract for 2026, so as long as he bounces back next season, he can look for an extension option.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Injuries
Marvin Harrison Jr. has been injured on and off this entire season. He suffered a concussion against the Colts in Week Six. Then he missed Weeks 11 and 12 of the season due to having to undergo appendix surgery. Now, towards the end of the season, the disaster has continued. He hurt his heel in Week 13 against Tampa Bay. This forced him to miss Weeks 14 and 15 of the season. Then, against the Bengals in Week 17 of the season, he hurt his foot. Harrison Jr. is now out for the rest of the season. Having the star wide receiver injured on and off for the entire season destroys the chemistry of the offense. During the weeks that Marvin Harrison Jr. got injured or was out, the Cardinals had no wins and seven losses. However, his future is not in jeopardy at all. Recently, Jonathan Gannon said that he had done some great things this season, and he feels that Harrison Jr. has the potential to be much better.
Week One of the season was so promising for Cardinals’ fans. The rest of the season was not. Kyler Murray did not prove himself at all this season. Marvin Harrison Jr. was injured too often to play a crucial part in the offense. James Connor had fewer than 100 rushing yards this season. Injuries destroyed the Cardinals’ offense and left it weak. Cardinals’ fans hope to see everyone who was injured this season healthy again for 2026. However, injuries change the dynamic of a team, and they have changed the future for those injured as well.
