Arizona Cardinals

Arizona carries $59.3M in dead money, one of the heaviest burdens in the league, but $37.9M in current room and a projected $123.0M available next season give the front office a real financial reset coming fast.

30 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Arizona holds seven picks in the upcoming draft, all in the first round, and three first-rounders across the next three years, giving a rebuilding team rare resources to accelerate its timeline.

The roster's clearest strength is its tight end and offensive line interior anchored by McBride, Johnson, and Froholdt, while quarterback is the weakest spot by a significant margin with Brissett starting on a unit ranked 31st leaguewide.

• CBhigh

  Arizona's cornerback group ranks 28th in starters and 22nd in depth, with Garrett Williams, Will Johnson, and Max Melton forming an unproven trio that needs an upgrade.

• DThigh

  The defensive tackle position ranks 27th in starters and 29th in depth, leaving Walter Nolen III and Andrew Billings as a thin and inconsistent pairing inside.

• LEDGEhigh

  Zaven Collins starts at left edge but the position ranks 27th, and with Eku Leota as the primary backup, quality depth is a critical concern.

• QBhigh

  Jacoby Brissett starts under center with the position ranked 31st leaguewide, making quarterback the most glaring roster hole on this team.

• RThigh

  Jedrick Wills Jr. holds the starting right tackle spot but the position ranks 31st among starters, exposing a serious vulnerability on the right side of the line.

• WILLhigh

  Cody Simon starts at WILL linebacker on a unit that ranks 30th at that spot, with little proven depth behind him to cover for any shortfall.

• HBmedium

  Despite ranking 24th in starters, Arizona's backfield depth ranks second overall thanks to Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, and James Conner providing impressive positional depth.

• RGmedium

  Chase Bisontis starts at right guard and the unit ranks 24th, but at just 22 with a Star dev trait he has meaningful upside to improve that standing.

• WRmedium

  The receiver group ranks 26th in starters and 24th in depth, with Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. as a promising but still-developing top pair.

• FSlow

  Andrew Wingard and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson man free safety, a spot that ranks 23rd leaguewide, representing a low-severity gap with some addressable depth already on hand.

• 73Baron BrowningLEDGEBaron Browning is the third edge rusher on a depth chart already thin at LEDGE, and releasing him frees $4.4M against just $5.0M in dead money, a modest but meaningful savings at a position that needs a better option anyway.Frees $4.4M · $5.0M dead
• 70Gardner Minshew IIQBGardner Minshew II sits second on the quarterback depth chart behind Brissett, and releasing him frees $2.9M against $2.8M in dead money, making it nearly cap-neutral while opening a roster spot for a developmental option.Frees $2.9M · $2.8M dead
• 71Dante StillsDTDante Stills is buried behind Walter Nolen III, Andrew Billings, and Darius Robinson on the DT depth chart, and releasing him frees $3.7M against just $30K in dead money, making it the cleanest cut on the roster.Frees $3.7M · $30.0K dead
• 65Hunter LongTEHunter Long sits behind Elijah Higgins and Tip Reiman at tight end with Trey McBride not even listed on the in-game chart, and releasing him frees $2.0M against $750K in dead money at a position where he offers little role.Frees $2.0M · $750.0K dead
• 63Joey BlountFSJoey Blount is not listed on the free safety depth chart and represents minimal positional value, and releasing him frees $1.5M against just $260K in dead money.Frees $1.5M · $260.0K dead

The Cardinals are a team caught between a promising young core and a roster riddled with critical gaps. Trey McBride at tight end is a generational asset, and Paris Johnson Jr. gives the offense a true franchise left tackle at 25. Jeremiyah Love, a 21-year-old Superstar halfback, adds a long-term backfield pillar. But those pieces are orbiting a quarterback situation that ranks near the bottom of the league, with Jacoby Brissett holding the starting job ahead of Gardner Minshew II and Carson Beck. The defensive line needs significant investment at both tackle and left edge, and the cornerback group is thin from starter to depth. Budda Baker remains an elite safety but is entering the late stage of his career, meaning the team must identify his long-term successor in the coming seasons. The $59.3M dead-cap figure constrains moves this year, but with $123.0M in projected cap room next season Arizona has a genuine financial runway to address multiple holes in one offseason. The seven picks in the upcoming draft, including three first-rounders over the next three years, give the front office real tools to accelerate a rebuild around the young core.

The Cardinals are the oldest continuously operating professional football team in the United States, tracing to 1898 when Chicago contractor Chris O'Brien organized the Morgan Athletic Club on the city's South Side. The club took the "Cardinals" name around 1901 after O'Brien described faded, second-hand University of Chicago maroon jerseys as "cardinal red." In 1920 the team became a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (renamed the NFL in 1922), making the Cardinals and the Chicago Bears the only two surviving charter franchises still operating. The team was awarded the 1925 NFL title (still disputed by Pottsville Maroons supporters) and won the 1947 NFL Championship 28-21 over the Philadelphia Eagles behind the famed "Dream Backfield," then lost a snowbound 1948 rematch 7-0, the franchise's only two championships and now the longest active title drought in North American major pro sports (78 seasons). The franchise has called three cities home: Chicago (1920-1959), St. Louis (1960-1987), and Arizona since 1988, being renamed the "Arizona Cardinals" in 1994. In St. Louis they won NFC East titles in 1974 and 1975 under Don Coryell but never won a playoff game there. The Arizona high point came in the 2008 season, when 37-year-old Kurt Warner led the team to Super Bowl XLIII, a 27-23 last-minute loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona won a franchise-best 13 games in 2015 under Bruce Arians. Never relocated in more than a century under continuous Bidwill-family ownership (begun in 1932 under Charles Bidwill; Michael Bidwill is the current owner).