Cardinals OC Ranks Among Top NFL Play-Callers

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals have plenty of reason for promise heading into 2024, and part of that rests on how they moved the ball this past season.

2023 was nothing to gloat about. A 4-13 record isn't hanging any banners, gaining any promotions or winning any awards.

However, Arizona's offense - operating under first-year play-caller Drew Petzing - was able to move the ball down the field regardless of who was playing quarterback and a slew of injuries plaguing the team.

Petzing's efforts haven't gone unnoticed, as The 33rd Team ranked as the No. 12 play-caller entering 2024:

Cardinals OC Ranks Among Top NFL Play-Caller

"Drew Petzing gets it. It didn't matter that Josh Dobbs started half the season, or that the interior offensive line was no good, or that the wide receiving corps was built out of Smurfs. Petzing found ways to make the Arizona Cardinals' offense competitive and productive," wrote Derrik Klassen.

"By and large, Petzing found the right ways to attack his opponents. The Ravens game midway through the season comes to mind. Petzing attacked the Ravens over and over again on the ground, relying on gap concepts and a quarterback run game.

"It was the perfect way to attack a Baltimore defense that prefers to be in two-high shells and has a pair of linebackers who don't exactly love taking on blocks.

"More than that, many of Arizona's players were the best versions of themselves. Dobbs was functional, Kyler Murray looked good coming off injury and Trey McBride took a huge step forward in the second half of the year. Rookies Paris Johnson and Michael Wilson looked good in their first year, too.

"Expect the Cardinals offense to take off when it gets more players."

Petzing admittedly had his faults in his rookie season on the sidelines. Far too often would he stray away from what worked and sometimes it felt like Kliff Kingsbury was dialing things up on the headset.

Yet there was plenty to be excited about. Petzing was ultra-creative and the new offense Kyler Murray works under appears to be far better for balancing their attack. It's no coincidence putting Murray under center helped with rushing the ball, which opened far more up for Murray down the field.

A depleted offense should hopefully gain some reinforcements over the coming months, too.