The Arizona Cardinals are in countdown mode. Think about Mike LaFleur, who has been hired to become the head coach of an NFL team. That has to be exciting, and super anxious at the same time.
The preparation, the work, the roster decisions, and all the ideas that came from Moment 1 to the opening kickoff against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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And now, the excitement of the season. Everything is new. Every team in the NFL has the same record at 0-0-0 with the same goals:
division crown, playoff bid, conference championship game appearance, and play in the Super Bowl.
For Cardinals fans, there is hope, but also the realization that this team broke a 127-year franchise record for the most losses in a single season with 14. That doesn’t simply cure itself overnight.
It is easy to be excited about the new year, the new schedule, new players, and yes, a new coaching staff. But this franchise has been down so many times and kicked off the year with high hopes, only to realize that the new boss is just like the old boss.
Here is what we, as Arizona fans, can be excited about and also concerned about.
Excited: Offensive weapons are everywhere
As training camp approached, ESPN ran an article and rated the best offenses for the upcoming season. The Cardinals were ranked #6. We agree.
Every NFL team that has a high-powered offensive group has either a stud at quarterback, a receiver that is uncoverable, or a stallion in the backfield.
With Arizona, however, it is their tight end, Trey McBride. What a sensational guy this is, and he is just getting started. He had the most targets on the team last year (169), most receptions (126), most first-down conversions (63), most yards (1,239), and the most touchdowns (11). Those numbers could explode this year with this new offense, which has multiple tight ends on the field for most every offensive play. Backup TE Elijah Higgins will get more targets than you think.
Michael Wilson has assumed the WR1 position. The key element of this offense is whether Marv Harrison can rebound and finally become that “generational” player he was advertised to become. And what about RB Jeremiyah Love, the #3 overall pick in the draft? These two are going to be the reasons why Arizona can win games or get bogged down. The receiver depth is very deep this year with Kendrick Bourne, Simi Fehoko, Jalen Brooks, and the rookie Reggie Virgil.
With a veteran at quarterback in Jacoby Brissett and capable backups, the weapons that this offense has accumulated are going to surprise a lot of folks.
Concerned: The offensive line
The Wild Card to this offense? Without a shadow of a doubt: The offensive line. GM Monti Ossenfort did his best to fix this mess with multiple signings for starters and also quality depth.
The big question seems to be whether his big splash during free agency, OG Isaac Semualo, can create stability and whether Isaiah Adams is really ready to take on the starting role at the other guard spot. These two men are critical to the offense’s success in running the ball, which is a significant portion of the offense.
Not much has been mentioned about Elijah Wilkinson as the new right tackle, so that’s good news. The coaching staff believes he is doing what he is supposed to be doing, although in the past few years he has been known to collect laundry. Hopefully he doesn’t attract many penalties going forward.
And center Hjalte Froholdt and LT Paris Johnson. Anyone worried about either one?
This group has the potential of being really solid, or could fall apart if they don’t come out as one cohesive unit right out of the gate. The backups are a good group as well, with Jon Gaines and Josh Fryar leading the room.
Excited: Up the gut run defense
Getting Roy Lopez back with the defense is such a blessing. He has good gap responsibility and is stiff against the run. Now, can Walter Nolen remain healthy? Seemed like each week in training camp he was walking off the turf with some ailment. He is such a force when healthy. Great physical traits with good explosiveness. He is certainly a playmaker, but he has to stay on the field for Arizona.
And Andrew Billings has been a big surprise this preseason. Seems like every year his body keeps getting bigger, but since he is a rotational player, his limited snaps shouldn’t be an issue. For some reason, he seems a bit quicker than last year when he was with the Chicago Bears. L.J. Collier has had his moments, but is a good run stopper and gives this defense inside-out flexibility.
Concerned: Pass rush opposite Josh Sweat
Ossenfort couldn’t fix every hole on this roster. Getting another pass rusher to bookend EDGE rusher Josh Sweat would have been ideal. The GM passed on several young pass-rushing studs early in the draft in order to take Love, which would have made this year’s defense one of the best pass-rushing teams in the division at least.
Right now, that responsibility is resting on the shoulders of Darius Robinson and Zaven Collins. Both players were drafted high, and the one thing this defense is not getting from either is another high: production.
Collins had just 1.5 sacks last year with 40 tackles and 10 QB hits. That does not scream “elite-level pass rusher.” Robinson has had two sacks total since signing his rookie deal. Most Cardinals fans were expecting him to be released after training camp, and yet, here we are in total mediocrity. And it’s not like Ossenfort can just reach out and sign a free agent for assistance. That list has been picked over to the bone.
Excited: Elite defensive backfield
One thing Ossenfort loves is cornerbacks and safeties. He is a former college quarterback and knows that competent guys in the back are critical. So, it’s his pet project.
He didn’t draft S Budda Baker, but he realizes just how special this dude is. NFL All-Rookie Team, eight Pro Bowls, Art Rooney Award winner, two-time Second Team All-Pro, and two-time First Team All-Pro. All of that in just nine seasons. Six seasons with 100+ tackles, including 164 in 2024. In 2019, he made the most solo tackles in the league with 104.
So, what does Ossenfort do? He takes care of Baker. He continues to nurture him and make him feel needed and happy. As Cardinals fans, thank you for doing this Mr. O.
Then there is the cornerback room. Will Johnson is a league star waiting to explode. And his creative cast is doing a great job with Garrett Williams, Max Melton, and Denzel Burke, who showed last year he can ball out. Now, all of this is with an asterisk. Can each of these young men remain healthy? The collapse of the pass coverage last year due to multiple players getting hurt killed this defense. The lone backup is Kei’Trel Crawford.
Ossenfort was able to nab a veteran safety that hardly anyone is talking about, and that is Andrew Wingard. He is as solid as he can be, and will hit his grandma if she catches a ball in his zone. The backups all show promise, with Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (who could actually start right now) and the new guy, Wydett Williams.
This entire group will decide the season. The NFC West has exceptional receivers, pass-catching tight ends, and veteran quarterbacks who know how to find tight windows.
Concerned: The friggin’ schedule
Aren’t the fourth-place division teams from last year supposed to play each other and have the easiest schedules the next year? What happened to that plan? Because the Cardinals currently own the league’s fourth-most difficult schedule. Isn’t there somebody we can sue for misrepresentation?
And about playing all the worst teams from the season before? From that list of last-place division finishers, Arizona does play the Detroit Lions (9-8-0), New York Football Giants (4-13-0), New Orleans Saints (6-11-0), New York Jets (3-14-0), and Las Vegas Raiders (3-14-0).
But here’s the rub. The Lions were 15-2-0 the year before and lost five games by a touchdown or less. The Saints are expected to win their division this year and went 4-1 down the stretch in 2025. Does anyone really think the 6-11-0 Kansas City Chiefs won’t come back with a vengeance? The Dallas Cowboys had last year’s #1 ranked offense.
The other bad teams seem to mysteriously be missing from the schedule, namely the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, and Indianapolis Colts.
Every team in the Cardinals’ division went to the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks even knocked off every other NFC team and played in the NFC Championship, with Seattle winning the Super Bowl. Arizona has to play each of these teams twice. So, there’s that.
They are also scheduled to play the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5-0), Denver Broncos (14-3-0), Kansas City Chiefs (6-11-0), Philadelphia Eagles (11-6-0), along with the Chiefs and Cowboys. The Broncos lost in the AFC Championship Game last year, which means Arizona will go up against three of the four teams that played in the conference championships last year. Ouch.
