Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals sit at $36.1M in cap room today and are set to explode to $150.3M next season, making this one of the most financially empowered teams in the league to chase a franchise quarterback.

39 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Two starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The roster's top strength is its offensive skill talent headlined by the 99-overall Trey McBride, while the weakest spot is quarterback, where no starter on the depth chart grades above 72 overall.

• RTmedium

  Elijah Wilkinson starts at right tackle at just 71 overall, making this the most pressing offensive line gap and a position the team should actively address.

• LSmedium

  Casey Kreiter handles long-snapping duties and this spot is listed as a need, though it remains a lower roster priority relative to quarterback and right tackle.

• QBmedium

  Jacoby Brissett leads the depth chart at quarterback at 72 overall, and finding a long-term franchise signal-caller is the team's most consequential roster decision.

• WILLlow

  Jack Gibbens starts at WILL but is a 72 overall, so upgrading this spot with a more dynamic linebacker would raise the defensive floor.

• Plow

  Blake Gillikin handles punting duties at 73 overall, a serviceable but replaceable option that could be upgraded for a modest cost.

• Air RaidoffensiveGood

  The Air Raid scheme is a natural fit because Trey McBride is an elite pass-catching tight end, Marvin Harrison Jr is a developing Star receiver, and the offense already has the playmaker density to exploit spread concepts.

• [EA] 4-3 QuartersdefensivePassable

  The 4-3 Quarters scheme suits this defense because Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins provide edge presence, Walter Nolen III anchors the interior, and the young cornerback group of Will Johnson, Garrett Williams, and Max Melton has the coverage potential to thrive in a coverage-heavy scheme.

• 73Baron BrowningLEDGEBaron Browning starts as the second REDGE on the depth chart at 73 overall, and releasing him frees $4.4M against $5.0M in dead money, a trade-off that makes the most sense if a cheaper or better edge option is available.Frees $4.4M · $5.0M dead
• 70Gardner MinshewQBGardner Minshew is the backup quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett at 70 overall, and releasing him frees $2.9M against only $2.8M in dead money, making him an efficient cap trim if the team invests in a real quarterback upgrade.Frees $2.9M · $2.8M dead
• 68Elijah HigginsTEElijah Higgins is the second tight end on the depth chart behind McBride at 68 overall, and releasing him frees $3.7M with zero dead money, making him one of the cleanest cuts on the roster.Frees $3.7M · $0 dead
• 71Dante StillsDTDante Stills is a rotational defensive tackle at 71 overall outside the top three at his position, and releasing him frees $3.7M against just $30K in dead money, a near cost-free savings opportunity.Frees $3.7M · $30.0K dead
• 63Joey BlountFSJoey Blount is the backup free safety at 63 overall behind starter Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Andrew Wingard, and releasing him frees $1.5M against only $260K in dead money with minimal depth consequence.Frees $1.5M · $260.0K dead

The Cardinals are a team with a clear identity and a compelling core but one very large question mark. Trey McBride at 99 overall is among the best players at his position in the league, and Paris Johnson Jr provides a young left tackle foundation to build around for years. Jeremiyah Love, the 21-year-old Superstar running back, and Marvin Harrison Jr, a 24-year-old Star receiver, give the offense a pair of ascending weapons that can grow alongside whoever wins the quarterback job. Defensively, Walter Nolen III is a 22-year-old Superstar defensive tackle with enormous upside, and Will Johnson is a 23-year-old Star corner with a bright future. The concern is at quarterback, where Jacoby Brissett is a veteran bridge option but not a long-term answer, and at right tackle, where Elijah Wilkinson is an average starter. Budda Baker remains impactful but is entering the late stage of his career, and Isaac Seumalo and James Conner are also in their final productive seasons, so depth at those positions will need attention. With $36.1M in cap room this year and a projected $150.3M next season, the Cardinals are positioned to make a major splash at quarterback and address secondary needs, making this a franchise on the cusp of a genuine contention window.

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).