The Arizona Cardinals opened training camp on Tuesday and held their first practice on Wednesday. Their first practice in front of fans at State Farm Stadium is Thursday.
And thus far, things are smooth.
The offseason has been very smooth for them, something that has been refreshing, especially with what is happening around the NFL.
The Cardinals have no public contract unhappiness. There are no holdouts. There are no injuries either (at least for now).
Things are not that way around the league.
The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with receiver Brandon Aiyuk and his contract situation. He is in camp but not practicing. Meanwhile, left tackle Trent Williams suddenly is unhappy with his contract and is holding out.
The Dallas Cowboys have receiver CeeDee Lamb holding out and contract situations looming with him and quarterback Dak Prescott.
The Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins have contract issues with quarterbacks Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa.
The Vikings had a player die in the offseason and then receiver Jordan Addison was arrested for a DUI. Now a projected starting cornerback tore his ACL.
The Los Angeles Rams appear to have lost a starting cornerback for the season to an ACL tear already. They only recently resolved some contract issues with quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The New York Jets traded for linebacker Haason Reddick, who is in the last year of his contract and promised he would participate in offseason work, and he has not reported fro training camp after not participating in OTAs or minicamp.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, while safety Budda Baker and running back James Conner are both on the final year of their contracts, they are steady, not causing any off-field distractions and leading the team. Baker gave an impromptu speech to the whole team on the first day of camp. The players listened.
It is unreasonable to expect this every year, but it is such a relief to see a team on the rise and without extra distractions or problems.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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