TEMPE, Ariz. -- While the Arizona Cardinals spent the offseason overhauling the first and second levels of their defense, they hardly touched their offense.
As in barely laid a finger on it.
Arizona returns 10 of 11 Week 1 starters from last year's unit that ranked 11th in total offense. The one new Week 1 starter, right guard Isaiah Adams, was a rookie last year who started the last five games of the season. And last year's Week 1 starting right guard, Will Hernandez, who tore an ACL in Week 5, re-signed with the Cardinals earlier this month.
In all, the Cardinals are returning 18 of 20 players who started at least a game for them last season.
The result of bringing back a starting lineup that's largely untouched -- this year's Day 1 starting lineup played two games last season -- is a continuity rarely seen in the NFL as rosters turn over annually. And the benefit has already been felt.
"There's some conversations that you're skipping over because you've already had them so you can dive into some of the deeper details of the job in a lot of different areas, which has been great," offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said.
Whether it was the first day of OTAs in April or the first day of training camp in July, the Cardinals didn't have to spend as much time on the Day 1 details of an install as other teams with new players would tend to do.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing explained that Day 1 details are typically the logistics of an offense: Where is everyone lined up? How does the formation move? What are the progressions? Where should a player's feet be?
So, instead of spending a few days installing the wide zone game or the gap scheme, left guard Evan Brown explained, Arizona was able to give a refresher on it and quickly move onto the details of each play, which could include the nuances of pass protection, and front side and back side combos.
The Cardinals are "way past" the basics, Brown added. When those conversations don't have to happen, Petzing said the offense skipped forward to the "contingency plans": What happens if the defense shows a specific look? What are the options?
Arizona had those kinds of conversations faster into camp than normal, Petzing said.
"So, now, if you can focus on the tiny details, that gets you just that much better," Brown said.
Arizona's offensive continuity has been especially evident on the offensive line, where communication and reliability are as important as anywhere on the field.
"It's just invaluable because things move that much faster when you're on the same page," Brown said. "You see what's happening, and you can trust the person next to you that's going to be out there. So, it's just if you can do one thing just a little bit better, a little bit faster, man, two inches in the O-line game and pass and run can make a world of difference."
Having so many linemen on the same page of the playbook has also increased the accountability in the room, center Hjalte Froholdt said. It's nice, he said, to know that everyone in the room understands what they have to do on each play.
And it has set a precedent.
"You have to know your stuff or you're going to stick out like a sore thumb, and that's not acceptable," Froholdt said.
"Communication is good and even if there's a mistake -- mistakes happen. It's still quick to be like, 'Hey I need to do that better.' Or you can identify your own mistakes before you even talk to somebody. It was like 'Hey, I messed up. It was supposed to be this because I didn't check to that properly quick enough,' instead of coach coming over and being like, 'Hey did you see the nickel?' And he's like, 'No.' So, everybody communicates, so that's really awesome to be a part of."
Heading into the regular season, quarterback Kyler Murray likes Arizona's depth and the foundation it has given the Cardinals.
So much familiarity brings a high level of comfort and trust, wide receiver Zay Jones said.
He knows what everyone around him -- from the running backs to the tight ends -- are doing on a play-by-play basis, and that has led to better communication, Jones added.
Including from Murray.
Jones feels as though he has a better understanding of how his quarterback thinks. On one play during training camp, Murray pulled Jones aside and told him to keep running his route, and the two talked strategy for that specific play and route.
"That's conversation that I need," Jones said.
"It's easy when you come out in the practice field and it's routes on air and it's whatever. It's when we need to win a game, third quarter, fourth quarter, two-minute drive, last play of the game. Those are the things, like when you find yourself exhausted in a game, and you're down, and you're on the road, and maybe somebody just got hurt, you need somebody to step up. Now you're seeing what sort of guys and what sort of substance are they made with. And I think that's where it shows up the most, as far as playing-wise. It's that trust."