The Arizona Cardinals have taken this year’s offseason and made quite a few changes. Make that, a lot of changes. It began with the head coach and almost his entire staff.
The offense needed quite a bit, and so GM Monti Ossenfort focused more on this side of the ball since the franchise hired an offensive-minded coach to lead the team.
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Through free agency, 2025 roster re-signings, reserve/futures contracts, and the recent NFL draft, a total of 23 offensive
players, 16 defenders, and four specialists have been signed from the end of the season to this week.
That’s 43 new players that Ossenfort has negotiated with. The roster limit during the season is 53 on the main roster. Even if half of these new guys make the roster, that is a ton of turnover. Not to mention a dozen new assistant coaches.
With new players, that means the possibility of jobs being taken away.
Here are four Cardinals veterans who could be on the hot seat to lose their starting positions as the 2026 NFL season begins.
OG Isaiah Adams
At the end of last season, Adams was starting at right guard with Evan Brown on the leftside. Will Hernandez was injured, and when he returned in Week 5, he only played six games at right guard before being placed on injured reserve with hip and knee injuries.
Adams looked really good in training camp last year. But in real games, not against second and third stringers like in preseason contests, he struggled mightily. He was drafted in Round 3 to become the starter, but when he finally got his chance, he did not play well. He ended up with a Pro Football Focus grade of 56.7, which is not exactly what the front office had hoped for when they spent a third-round pick on him.
During the offseason, Adams was penciled in at right guard. Matt Pryor was signed in free agency and is expected to compete with Adams for the starting nod. Pryor’s Pro Football Focus grade for this past season was a nice 71.6. Make no mistake, this is a very large man. He has long arms with a massive frame.
But then Ossenfort selected OG Chase Bisontis of Texas A&M in the second round.
Bisontis is an exceptional prospect, and he looked like a beast on the first day of rookie mini-camp. Yes, it will be a three-way competition for the starting right guard spot, and in the end, it could mean that Adams is either the backup or could find himself at third-string if he doesn’t ball out in training camp.
RB James Conner
This might be pretty obvious. Ossenfort grabbed RB Jeremyiah Love of Notre Dame with the third overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, and a player drafted that high is expected to start right away. Running backs can convert from the college level to the professional ranks seamlessly.
Conner’s reappearance from his knee injury last year is on track for him to return and be present in training camp. Another cog is the fact that RB Tyler Allgeier was signed during free agency. The thought process there was that Allgeier is an NFL-starting caliber back and would be the safety valve in case both Conner and Trey Benson weren’t ready to go early in the season, or weren’t the same bruising/speedy backs they once were.
Last year, after both Conner and Benson went down with injuries and ended their seasons on IR, the Cardinals limped to the finish line with backups and practice squad players at running back. Ossenfort doesn’t ever want to see a repeat of that and has prepared going forward.
But now that Love is in the house, Conner’s starting position is most likely gone. Love looked like a stud on the first day of rookie mini-camp and has come as advertised. There is a logjam at running back for the Cardinals, and most likely, one of the aforementioned three will be shipped off to a RB-needy team. Conner might still be with Arizona in Week 1, but his starting days could be gone.
LB Cody Simon
After being taken in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft out of Ohio State, Simon had nine starts last year and played in 16 games. While at Ohio State, he was their captain and was selected to play in the #0 jersey, commonly called the “Block O” jersey. Only one player a year is chosen for this defensive distinction to the athlete who exemplifies leadership and character.
Simon (6’-2”, 230 pounds) had a pretty good year with 76 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one QB hit, two batted passes, one forced fumble, a half sack, two hurries, and three pressures.
But he also had 13 missed tackles. Simon’s pass coverage needs a lot of work as well. He allowed 28 completions from 41 targets for 259 yards for 68.3% completion ratio.
LB Jack Gibbens (6’-3”, 242 pounds) was signed during free agency and inked to a two-year deal. He started all 17 games last season with the New England Patriots with 81 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, three QB hits, one sack, one forced fumble, four batted passes, four pressures, one hurry, and two knockdowns.
His pass coverage on tight ends is better than Simon’s, and he wraps up with the tackle. Not only is Gibbens productive, but he also has a high IQ, known for his reliability as a tackler who is strong against the run. In 2024, Gibbens ranked #12 out of 189 linebackers with a PFF grade of 83.2.
Simon had better bring his “A” game to training camp. His replacement isn’t going to wait for an opening to snatch away his job.
S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
Now that safety Jalen Thompson has moved on, there is an open spot in the safety room to pair with Pro Bowler Budda Baker.
Before training camp even begins, Taylor-Demerson (5’-10”, 197 pounds) has been listed as the starter at free safety. However, he might not ever make it to Week 1 because Ossenfort has brought in veteran Andrew Wingard (6’-0”, 200 pounds) into the fold.
Wingard is a beast. He was a fan-favorite with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are still moaning about him leaving their beloved defense. Intelligent and high football IQ. Very intense player who is an absolute dawg.
Taylor-Demerson was drafted in Round 4 of the 2024 draft to eventually become Baker’s replacement. But instead, it was Thompson who left, and Taylor-Demerson has been penciled in as the starter. But he will have to stave off Wingard first, which won’t be an easy assignment.
