The Arizona Cardinals bet on a defensive overhaul for the 2024 season, adding Josh Sweat. Can they defy the odds with Vegas setting their win total at a low 8.5?
StatPro NFL Beat Reporter
The smell of freshly cut grass is almost in the air, Cardinals fans. With the team officially dropping the 2025 training camp schedule today, the countdown to kickoff has truly begun. But as the dates get circled on the calendar, a compelling narrative is taking shape: a showdown between the front office's bold vision and the tempered expectations of oddsmakers.
The Cardinals' projected season win total is set at 8.5, the lowest in the NFC West.
General Manager Monti Ossenfort isn't just tweaking the roster; he's performing major surgery on the defense. After seasons of struggling to generate consistent pressure, Ossenfort has pushed his chips to the middle of the table, headlined by the blockbuster acquisition of pass rusher Josh Sweat. The strategy is clear: inject proven, high-impact veteran talent to transform a long-standing weakness into a game-changing strength. The goal, as Ossenfort has framed it, is to take the unit from 'zero to hero,' betting that Sweat and other experienced additions can immediately elevate the entire team and give them the defensive teeth needed to compete in the brutal NFC West.
Despite the front office's aggressive moves, the folks in the desert remain skeptical. DraftKings Sportsbook has set the Cardinals' season win total at a modest 8.5—the lowest in the division—and their odds to make the playoffs at +138. While that might feel like a slight, it also presents an opportunity. Analysts point to real reasons for optimism that the projections miss. The team finished a respectable 3-3 in the division last year, showing they can hang tough. More importantly, the connection between a healthy Kyler Murray and superstar-in-the-making Marvin Harrison Jr. has the potential to be one of the most explosive duos in the league. If that pairing clicks and the defense improves even moderately, 8.5 wins could be left in the dust.
The release of the training camp schedule isn't just a logistical update; it's a call to action. It marks the official start of the campaign to prove the doubters wrong. The open practices will be our first glimpse of Josh Sweat in Cardinal red, the first chance to see how the new defensive pieces fit into Jonathan Gannon's scheme, and a crucial period for the Murray-to-Harrison Jr. chemistry to solidify. Every rep will be measured against that 8.5-win benchmark.
So, what's the verdict? Is this a team destined for another season on the outside looking in, or is Monti Ossenfort's calculated gamble about to pay off in a big way? The pieces are in place, the battle lines are drawn, and the motivation is plastered all over the betting boards. Training camp is where the work begins, and this fall is when we'll find out if these Cardinals can cash in on their own potential and make some noise in the NFC Wild Card race.
