Where Cardinals Fall in Early 2025 Power Rankings

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals' 2024 season saw plenty of highs and lows throughout the year before they missed the postseason.

Where do the Cardinals fall in ESPN's way-too-early 2025 power rankings?

Josh Weinfuss on the Cardinals after Arizona finished No. 21:

"The Cardinals saw last season that they're capable of putting together winning football and sustaining it, albeit for a short amount of time. The playoffs were within reach in November, but a late-season drop-off depleted those hopes. If they can plug the holes on offense and defense, starting with help on the edge rush, the postseason can be a legitimate possibility in 2025. In addition to another pass rusher, Arizona could use another receiving target, top-tier cornerback and more help on the defensive line."

Arizona is slated to have roughly $70 million in cap space while being armed with six picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

For a team that was on the verge of making the postseason, it's easy to see why optimism exists for Arizona to get closer to that goal over the coming months.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon says the jump from his first year to year two was quite noticeable.

“A lot of areas," said Gannon when asked where he saw the most improvement.

"Winning in the league is hard. I talk about this with (General Manager) Monti (Ossenfort) a lot, and even the coaches. You realize the NFL, if you've been around it long enough, you understand this. Yeah, we're a couple plays away from being in the playoffs.

"Yeah, we're a couple plays away from being four wins too, but every team can kind of say that typically. The point is the margin for error in the NFL is small and you have to maximize those margins. I would say just collectively as a team, second year in a system - and I know (Asst. Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Jeff (Rodgers) was here before I got here, so a lot of those guys have been in that system - but there are a lot of new players.

"Second year in the system, I feel like we understood what was going on a little bit better. We executed a little bit higher level. I think the guys that are out there suiting up playing really maximized their role. Like I said, we're on the path. We just have to stay on it.”

It will be quite interesting to see how the Cardinals navigate the coming offseason, as the right moves could easily see Arizona establish themselves as a favorite to make the postseason moving forward.