Arizona Cardinals

Arizona carries $59.3M in dead money (7th-most leaguewide) but projects among the top four in cap room next season, so pain now gives way to flexibility soon.

27 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks this draft, all in the first round, including three first-rounders spread across the next three years, gives Arizona rare rebuild resources to fill multiple critical holes.

The roster's top strength is its tight end and backfield combination, anchored by the league's best TE and a Superstar-trait young halfback, while the quarterback room is the weakest spot on the entire depth chart.

• CBhigh

  The cornerback room ranks 27th in starters and 23rd in depth, with Garrett Williams, Will Johnson, and Max Melton starting above serviceable but unproven talent behind them.

• DThigh

  Walter Nolen III leads the position at 78 overall but the group ranks 27th in starters and 28th in depth, making interior pass rush a critical priority.

• QBhigh

  Jacoby Brissett starts at 72 overall with Gardner Minshew II and Carson Beck behind him, a combination that ranks 31st among starting quarterbacks leaguewide.

• RThigh

  Elijah Wilkinson starts at right tackle at just 71 overall, ranking 30th at the position, and the depth behind him is thin and inexperienced.

• WILLhigh

  Cody Simon starts at WILL linebacker at 70 overall and the unit ranks 29th leaguewide, with Baron Browning and Eku Leota as the only options behind him.

• WRhigh

  Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. lead the room at 81 and 80 overall respectively, but the depth drops sharply and the group ranks 28th in starters.

• LEDGEmedium

  Zaven Collins starts at 76 overall but the group ranks 26th leaguewide, and the depth behind him is a concern heading into the season.

• FSlow

  Dadrion Taylor-Demerson starts at 72 overall with Andrew Wingard backing him up, a workable situation but still ranked 22nd among starting free safeties.

• HBlow

  The backfield is a genuine strength in depth, ranked 2nd overall, with Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, and James Conner giving the team elite options.

• RGlow

  Chase Bisontis starts at 75 overall and ranks 23rd at the position, with development potential as a 22-year-old Star-trait guard to watch.

• 70Gardner Minshew IIQBGardner Minshew II is the second-string quarterback at 70 overall, and cutting him frees $2.9M against only $2.8M in dead money, making it a near-clean release that opens cap space with minimal penalty.Frees $2.9M · $2.8M dead
• 68Elijah HigginsTEElijah Higgins sits third on the tight end depth chart at 68 overall behind McBride and Tip Reiman, and his release is a clean cap move that frees $3.7M with zero dead money.Frees $3.7M · $0 dead
• 71Dante StillsDTDante Stills is a 71 overall interior lineman buried on the DT depth chart, and cutting him frees $3.7M against a negligible $30K in dead money.Frees $3.7M · $30.0K dead
• 65Hunter LongTEHunter Long sits third on the tight end depth chart at 65 overall, and releasing him frees $2.0M while leaving only $750K in dead money.Frees $2.0M · $750.0K dead
• 73Baron BrowningLEDGEBaron Browning is a backup edge and WILL option at 73 overall, but his release carries $5.0M in dead money against only $4.4M freed, making this a costly cut that should be evaluated carefully before pulling the trigger.Frees $4.4M · $5.0M dead

Arizona is built around Trey McBride at 99 overall, one of the most dominant tight ends in the league, but almost everything else requires urgent attention. The quarterback situation is the most pressing concern, with Jacoby Brissett leading a group that ranks 31st leaguewide, and resolving that position is the single biggest lever for the franchise. Jeremiyah Love at 21 years old with a Superstar dev trait is an explosive young backfield cornerstone, and Marvin Harrison Jr. gives the passing game a legitimate Star-trait playmaker to pair with McBride. Paris Johnson Jr. is a young, ascending left tackle, and Walter Nolen III at 22 with a Superstar trait is a defensive tackle to build around. However, Budda Baker is entering the later stage of his career, James Conner is in the twilight of his, and Isaac Seumalo at left guard is among the oldest at his position, meaning the roster has a wave of transitions coming at key spots. The cap carries $59.3M in dead money currently, though next year's outlook improves considerably with committed spending dropping and cap room projecting at $172.3M. The team holds all seven picks this draft, including three first-rounders over three years, giving the rebuild genuine resources to address the quarterback, cornerback, and interior defensive line holes if managed correctly.

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).