2024 NFL Offseason Primer: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals

Projected Cap Space: $44 million

Draft Picks: 13

• 1st (No. 4)
• 1st (No. 27, HOU)
• 2nd (No. 35)
• 3rd (No. 66)
• 3rd (No. 71, TEN)
• 3rd (No. 90, HOU)
• 4th (No. 105)
• 5th (No. 137)
• 5th (No. 161, HOU)
• 6th (No. 188, MIN)
• 7th (No. 222)
• 7th (No. 224, NYG)
• 7th (No. 241, CLE)

Notable Free Agents: 

• WR Marquise Brown
• CB Antonio Hamilton
• DL Jonathan Ledbetter (RFA)
• DT Leki Fotu
• DT Carlos Watkins
• LB Krys Barnes
• DE L.J. Collier
• OL Trystan Colon
• P Blake Gillikin

Top Three Needs

1 – Edge rusher

Arizona was 30th in the NFL last season with only 33 sacks. No one on the team finished with more than six, and veteran Dennis Gardeck held that distinction. Guys like BJ Ojulari and Victor Dimukeje also chipped in with four apiece, and Arizona was so desperate for help they converted LB Zaven Collins to an edge rusher. He flashed with 3.5 sacks.

All four of those guys would be solid coming off the bench and younger options like Ojulari and Dimukeje could develop into something more eventually. But for now, Arizona needs to bump everyone a peg down the depth chart in order to take a step forward as a defense. 

Honestly, the entire Cardinals’ front seven could use an infusion of talent. The team understood it was entering a rebuilding year, and a lot of young players got valuable reps. But the only starter who played well enough to justify keeping in a starting role in 2024 was Gardeck and maybe LB Kyzir White. Expect wholesale upgrades here. 

2 – Cornerback

Could I have just listed “defense” as a need for the Cardinals? Yes, but I needed three blurbs and realistically they’re not in a bad position at safety, though that also depends on whether or not they cut Budda Baker for cap savings. 

Cornerback on the other hand looks bare. The Cardinals could need three new starters at cornerback, though a young player like Garrett Williams, Starling Thomas or Kei’Trel Clark could end up seizing a role. Hamilton was the top corner last year and he’s set to be a free agent. Bringing him back for depth wouldn’t be the worst outcome but the Cardinals need to get better overall in the secondary.

Arizona could stand to make multiple additions in both free agency and the draft to try and shore up a pass defense that surrendered 32 touchdowns via the air, the third-worst in the league. 

3 – Wide Receiver

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray played well enough to drop his team out of range of one of the top quarterback options, nipping a ton of offseason drama in the bud. Now Arizona can use the No. 4 pick to take the best available position player on the board, and there’s a good chance that’s a new weapon for Murray to throw to. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has been viewed as an elite prospect for years, the rare type of player who is capable of instantly becoming a true NFL No. 1 receiver. 

With Hollywood Brown set to potentially leave in free agency, receiver becomes an important need for the Cardinals to fill. Even if they re-signed Brown, that shouldn’t stop them from passing on Harrison, as Brown seems better suited to not be the top target for defenses to pay attention to. A trio of Brown, Harrison and TE Trey McBride is a legitimate foundation for a strong offense, particularly with Murray’s unique skillset. 

It’s fair to say wide receiver might not be the Cardinals’ biggest need — though it becomes way more important if they can’t keep Brown. But addressing wide receiver would be the quickest way to help the Cardinals start building a legitimate strength to lean on while patching up the rest of the roster. 

One Big Question

Can the rebuild take a step forward?

Expectations were so low for the Cardinals that it was treated as a moral victory when they led at halftime in their first two games. It was harsh, but it reflected how dramatically new GM Monti Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon were reshaping the roster, as well as the absence of Murray until later in the season. Without Murray, the Cardinals went 1-8. 

Once Murray returned, things got a lot better. Arizona went 3-5 to close the season with wins against the Falcons, Steelers and Eagles. The expectations were still low given the circumstances. Murray looked rusty but that was to be expected coming off a torn ACL and having to catch up in Week 10 without the benefit of a full training camp to build chemistry with teammates. With that context, there were a lot of encouraging flashes of the player the Cardinals felt comfortable handing a ton of money. 

Going forward, the expectations won’t be nearly so low. Ossenfort and Gannon have a war chest of draft picks and cap space to retool the roster in their vision. Murray has a full offseason to focus on improving his game, not rehabbing. It might not be fair to expect the Cardinals to make the playoffs — but the Texans reminded the league last year how quick turnarounds are possible. Arizona should at least threaten for a wildcard berth in a soft NFC, otherwise some doubts about key figures like Murray, Gannon and Ossenfort could start to creep in.