The Arizona Cardinals have struggled in recent years for various reasons, leading to the hiring of Jonathan Gannon and his coaching staff ahead of the 2023 season.
Now heading into Year 2, Gannon’s Cardinals have some coaching continuity that could bode well for the roster.
Here’s a look at what Gannon’s staff looks like for the 2024 season, with the entire group returning.
Arizona Cardinals Coaching Staff
- Jonathan Gannon, Head Coach
- Jeff Rodgers, Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator
- Drew Petzing, Offensive Coordinator
- Drew Terrell, Passing Game Coordinator / Wide Receivers
- Klayton Adams, Offensive Line
- Chris Cook, Assistant Offensive Line
- Autry Denson, Running Backs
- Connor Senger, Assistant Quarterbacks
- Ben Steele, Tight Ends
- Spencer Whipple, Pass Game Specialist
- Israel Woolfork, Quarterbacks
- Nick Rallis, Defensive Coordinator
- Ronald Booker, Defensive Quality Control
- Derrick LeBlanc, Defensive Line
- William Peagler, Assistant Defensive Line
- Rob Rodriquez, Outside Linebackers
- Sam Siefkes, Linebackers
- Ryan Smith, Cornerbacks
- Patrick Toney, Defensive Backs
- Sam Sewell, Assistant Special Teams
Spending 2020-22 with the Cleveland Browns as tight ends and quarterbacks coach, Dan Petzing joined the Cardinals as a first-time offensive coordinator in 2023. Despite missing starting quarterback Kyler Murray for most of the 2023 season, his offense still ranked 19th in the NFL in yards per game (324.1) and scored 36 touchdowns.
The passing offense, more specifically, ranked 26th with 184.9 yards per game and 18 touchdowns. Upon Murray’s return, though, the former No. 1 overall pick was responsible for 1,799 yards (224.9 per game) and 10 touchdowns. That signals that the Cardinals’ offense should be improved with a full season with Murray under center in 2024.
To improve the offense, they added tackle Jonah Williams in free agency and selected receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Running back Trey Benson and guard Isaiah Adams were also added in the third round of the draft.
Defensively, that’s Gannon’s show, as he was previously the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly had one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2022 with Gannon calling plays, as that unit topped the league in sacks on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.
Nick Rallis, who was the Eagles’ linebackers coach under Gannon, is Arizona’s defensive coordinator. In 2023, the Cardinals’ defense ranked 25th in yards per game (355.7) and allowed 54 touchdowns, the second most in the NFL.
Additionally, the Cardinals had the third-fewest sacks in the NFL with 33, a stark difference from Gannon’s 2022 Eagles.
A big difference, however, was roster talent. The Cardinals added Justin Jones, Mack Wilson Sr., Bilal Nichols, and Sean Murphy-Bunting, in free agency and re-signed L.J. Collier and Krys Barnes. They also added defensive lineman Darius Robinson in the first round of the draft and cornerback Max Melton in the second round.
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Essentially, the Cardinals are banking on the talent they added being enough to improve their defensive production. If that doesn’t happen, though, it could make for a hot seat in Year 3 for the team’s defensive coaches.
