Chemistry matters. Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen make water, which is pretty significant. Pass-first point guards like Steve Nash and Tyrese Haliburton elevate their basketball teams through their generosity, also extremely powerful.
But can there be great chemistry in the NFL, a league where teams are small armies? Where the offense and defense are rarely equals? Where position groups are segregated into separate meeting rooms?
The 2025 Cardinals might test that theory.
“A connected team is important,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said. “It’s about the right type of people working for a common goal. And it’s great to see our players out there supporting each other, and they’re doing a lot of great stuff in the community. I think that can only help us on the field.”
The 2025 Cardinals have our attention. They have regained their credibility in the NFL as a team to be taken seriously. During mandatory minicamp, I watched Kyler Murray lob long passes that dropped into the hands of sprinting receivers. I watched the defensive linemen go through drills and marveled at the change in this unit. From Dalvin Tomlinson to Calais Campbell, from Darius Robinson to Walter Nolen III, this defense might be incredibly disruptive upfront, in the trenches, where games are declared and decided.
But what first grabbed my attention was the NFLPA report card, where head coach Jonathan Gannon received an “A” from his players despite winning only 12 games in his first two years. That means there is a lot of trust and belief inside the locker room that was not spawned from success. That is rare.
The other was the amount of offseason events hosted by Cardinals players, and how willingly teammates are to support one another. This was true of Kyler Murray’s softball game, Mack Wilson Sr.’s basketball game, and a bowling event hosted by Budda Baker.
So, are we looking at elite chemistry in Arizona?
“Yeah,” linebacker Zaven Collins said. “Because I can confront one of the guys about something without it (being perceived) as hostile or being degrading as man and a player. And it’s because we’re good friends, too, because (many of us) have been together a long time. We can have a sense of accountability where guys are not feeling threatened. So it’s been really good for us, and I haven’t felt that in a long time.
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“It’s something that’s hard to see unless you’re inside the locker room. But it’s something that pushes the team in the right direction. It leads to practices that are really good, which leads to games and situations where everyone is executing, and that’s a huge carryover.”
Obviously, Gannon deserves credit for the internal vibe. So does Ossenfort for selecting the right kind of players, men who are self-motivated and violent and professional. But in sports, great chemistry cannot be drafted or drawn up on a whiteboard. It happens organically, an internal combustion of fellowship and cohesiveness that comes with the right mix of player.
We’ve seen it with the Suns following the arrivals of Nash and Chris Paul. We’ve seen it on the Diamondbacks when Torey Lovullo screamed that “a connected teams is a dangerous team! Now let’s (bleeping) party!” And the other day, Campbell said the Cardinals have a chance to be special in his storybook return to Arizona, capable of a playoff run.
Campbell sees more than just the talent upgrades. It’s the vibe. It’s the camaraderie.
“It’s legit,” running back Michael Carter said.
Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.
Follow @danbickley
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