Yes, the Arizona Cardinals are the NFL’s most dysfunctional team

It’s no secret the Arizona Cardinals have been the most dysfunctional team for a while now. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing.

NBC Sports recently asked this question on one of their segments, but after all the trials and tribulations we’ve seen from the Arizona Cardinals, do we really need to ask? It’s clear that, dating back to when former head coach Kliff Kingsbury and former general manager Steve Keim signed their ill-fated contract extensions, dysfunction was going to follow. 

And it has. Here are a few of many issues the Cardinals have faced since March 2022:

• Kyler Murray contract fiasco
• Marquise Brown’s arrest
• Deteriorating relationship between Kingsbury, Murray, and Keim
• NFLPA report card
• Serious allegations involving owner Michael Bidwill

Again, these are just a few issues, and you could make a one-hour documentary covering each issue Arizona has faced over the past 13 months. So why, given all the dysfunction, is this not necessarily a bad thing? It’s because the Cards have nowhere to go but up. 

Culture change should come to the Arizona Cardinals

It started with Kliff Kingsbury’s firing and Steve Keim’s subsequent resignation. Michael Bidwill hired and trusted Monti Ossenfort, whose plan is to clearly build through the draft, which will allow Arizona to at least attempt to build a young core that Keim was never able to construct. 

Ossenfort hired and trusted Jonathan Gannon, whose high-energy approach is the complete opposite of what we saw from the monotonous Kingsbury. Gannon hired and trusted two unproven yet intriguing coordinators in Drew Petzing and Nick Rallis, and he also intends to build his systems around the players he has instead of forcing his philosophy onto them. 

The most under-the-radar change has come to the strength, conditioning, and training staff. For years, Arizona rolled with a head strength coach and an assistant, and nothing more. That’s no longer the case, as they have brought on a second and third assistant, plus a sports science coordinator, and a director of performance. 

These changes might seem small, but they could pay off in the long run. Look for more to come in the near-future as the NFL’s most dysfunctional franchise continues to tweak what has long been a failed or outdated mindset on many facets.