Why former NFC West player believes Cardinals will win division in 2025: They’ll be ‘a dangerous team’

The Arizona Cardinals haven’t won a divisional title since 2015. It stands as the longest NFC West title drought among the division, but could that change in 2025? CBS Sports analyst and former NFL player Leger Douzable believes it will.

“I’m saying it right now, I believe the Cardinals will win the NFC West… This is gonna be a dangerous team next year,” Douzable said on CBS Sports HQ Wednesday.

The Cardinals finished third in the NFC West last season at 8-9, watching the Los Angeles Rams take the crown as they sat home for the playoffs a third straight year. 

Arizona started off the season strong, with a 41-10 victory over its divisional foe from L.A. in Week 2, after losing a close season opener against the Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals never seemed to find that consistency needed after that, but Douzable is confident that the changes they made during the offseason will make a world of difference.

Douzable, who played briefly in the NFC West for the 49ers in 2017, noted that even when the team was “talent deficient,” it played “hard” and just needed those missing pieces for it to all fit together. He names 2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen, who they took at No. 16 overall, veteran All Pro defensive end Calais Campbell, who joined the team this offseason and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, who also joined the team this offseason, as some of those pieces he thinks will turn them into a winning team. 

“They have a bevy of rushers up front that can affect the quarterback. I always say the game is run by quarterbacks and guys that can affect the quarterback,” Douzable said, adding that if he’s healthy, cornerback Will Johnson was a “major steal” in the second round.

“Now they have a team that has depth across the board on defense. It’s gonna come down to [quarterback] Kyler Murray,” Douzable said. 

Murray played his first full season since 2020 last year, passing for 3,851 with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, along with 572 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Douzable thinks their offensive could have used another receiver, saying someone with speed would open the field up for tight end Trey McBride and former first-round wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.