Arizona Cardinals
Projected Cap Space: $67.8 million
Draft Picks: 5
- 1st (No. 16)
- 2nd (No. 47)
- 3rd (No. 78)
- 4th (No. 114)
- 5th (No. 153)
Notable Free Agents:
- G Will Hernandez
- LB Kyzir White
- OLB Baron Browning
- OLB Dennis Gardeck
- OT Kelvin Beachum
- DL L.J. Collier
- C Evan Brown
- WR Zay Jones
- WR Zach Pascal
- DT Roy Lopez
- P Michael Palardy
- LS Aaron Brewer
Top Three Needs
1 – Edge Rusher
The Cardinals took an encouraging step forward last year and were in first place in the NFC West before losing ground down the stretch. Arizona finished as a borderline top-10 offense and returns most of the key personnel on that side of the ball, as well as OC Drew Petzing, so much of the improvement will have to come from the defense. The low-hanging fruit is the pass rush.
The Cardinals notched 41 sacks last year, which ranked in the middle of the pack. However, their pressure rate was 27th and no one player had more than five sacks. Browning and Gardeck are scheduled to be free agents, while Arizona brings back Zaven Collins, BJ Ojulari, Xavier Thomas and some others — none of whom have shown themselves to be more than rotational pieces at this point.
Realistically the Cardinals could make multiple additions here and it would not be shocking to see them go after some sort of big splash with all the cap space they have available. For Arizona to take a leap to a contending team, improving the pass rush is an imperative.
2 – Defensive Line
The Cardinals have brought in players like Collier, Lopez, DT Bilal Nichols, first-round DL Darius Robinson and DT Justin Jones in the past couple of years to try and beef up the defensive front. The results have been mixed. The floor for the unit overall has been raised but in addition to the pass rush struggles, the Cardinals were 20th against the run in 2024.
As part of the push to take a leap forward as a team, the Cardinals should keep investing resources in the defensive line. Robinson could still develop into a foundation piece, as injuries set him back as a rookie, but veterans like Nichols, Jones, etc are not likely to be part of the long-term outlook in Arizona.
3 – Guard
Hernandez, Brown and OL Trystan Colon are all set to be free agents, so the Cardinals have some work to do here. They have a lot of hope for G Isaiah Adams who was a third-round pick this past year. But if Hernandez isn’t brought back, another starter will be needed, and keeping the depth strong should also be a priority.
One Big Question
Can the Cardinals take another step forward?
The Cardinals hired GM Monti Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon in 2023 with the understanding that it would take multiple years to rebuild, which prompted multiple trades down in the draft to acquire more picks. It was predictably rough in their first season with a 4-13 record but Arizona was surprisingly spunky still. This past year, the team improved to 8-9 and legitimately challenged for the division title, despite falling short.
Now it’s time for the team to take another step. The playoffs are a realistic expectation, if not more. The team needs more building blocks on defense and another step from the pieces it believes it already has on offense — QB Kyler Murray, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., LT Paris Johnson, TE Trey McBride. A little bit more consistency could turn the Cardinals into a top-five offense after finishing just outside the top ten last year but that last step from good to great is also one of the hardest.
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