TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals took a step forward this season, improving from a 4-13 record in 2023 to 8-9 in head coach Jonathan Gannon's second year.
They also have a gut feeling that the team is on the right path. Both have resulted in optimism coming out of a season with its share of highs and lows.
"I know we're close, man," Gannon said after Arizona's loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. "And I know it's hard to see that."
With the season behind them, Gannon is focused on his offseason goal of figuring out how to win more games next season. His message to the team was that they could approach the offseason in one of two ways: Listen to the noise and narratives or "take it on the chin and then improve from it," as Gannon put it.
When looking at the season in its entirety, quarterback Kyler Murray believes the Cardinals are "really close."
"I think we're a couple plays [away]," Murray said. "I mean every team can say it, but I think we're literally a couple plays away from being a 10-win team. I'm not going to get up here and complain about some of the things that happened throughout the season that I think kind of altered some games, but I think we all got to look in the mirror and see how we can be better going into next season, me included, and come out here and be better next year."
Gannon agreed with Murray and felt a couple of plays on all three sides of the ball could have altered the season. However, Gannon said the counter is true, too: The Cardinals were a few plays away from being a four-win team.
"The point is the margin for error in the NFL is small and you have to maximize those margins," Gannon said.
At the end of the season, the Cardinals' reason for optimism was clearer: Five of their nine losses were by a score or less, they put together a four-game winning streak after starting 1-3, they were No. 1 in the NFC West between Weeks 9 and 11, they scored 30 or more points five times and held teams to under 20 points in seven games. Arizona then lost five of six after its bye and missed the playoffs.
Tight end Trey McBride called the 2024 Cardinals a "resilient" team that "made some strides." But it wasn't enough.
"I don't think we're quite where we want to be yet," he said. "Obviously, we are building a good culture here. I think J.G. is doing a good job of doing things the right way."
However, as Gannon and right tackle Kelvin Beachum said, the NFL is a performance-driven, bottom-line league.
"It goes down to hard work and improving every day," Gannon said. "There's no magic formula. I'm not a knee-jerk reaction guy. 'Oh, we're going to change the practice schedule this week because we didn't do this in the game.' I don't believe in that.
"I believe in trusting our players and our people and making sure that we continue to have a growth mindset (to) adapt, adjust and learn and put our guys in position to make plays."
Gannon identified player development as an area critical to Arizona's future success.
"That's going to be a lot of the focus this off-season is let's have a better plan from myself to develop the players," he said.
Murray said he and rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will continue developing their connection.
According to Gannon, it's clear there was a better understanding and a better execution of the system in Year 2. Despite how the season ended, Beachum feels the Cardinals' core has "some good pieces."
Murray said he's decided to be positive about the Cardinals' improvement, even if it didn't translate to wins.
"I see a light at the end of that tunnel," he said.