Arizona Cardinals

Arizona carries $59.3M in dead money (7th most in the league) but holds $36.1M in current cap room and a projected $150.3M next season, so the pain is real but the light at the end of the tunnel is bright.

39 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Arizona holds seven picks, all in the first round, which is an extraordinary concentration of premium draft capital that gives this rebuild enormous upside if managed wisely.

The roster's top strength is the offensive line and skill-position pairing around McBride, while the quarterback and defensive interior depth represent the weakest spots on the entire team.

• CBhigh

  The cornerback room ranks 27th at the starter level and 22nd in depth, with Garrett Williams leading a group that needs an immediate upgrade opposite him.

• DThigh

  The defensive tackle position ranks 26th in starter quality and 27th in depth, making it arguably the most structurally depleted unit on the roster.

• QBhigh

  Jacoby Brissett starts at quarterback with the position ranking 30th in starter quality, which is the single biggest obstacle to competing in the near term.

• RThigh

  Elijah Wilkinson starts at right tackle and the position ranks 29th in starter quality, leaving a glaring weakness on the right side of an otherwise improving offensive line.

• WILLhigh

  Jack Gibbens starts at WILL linebacker for a unit that ranks 30th in starter quality, and the position must be a priority in every offseason.

• WRhigh

  Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr lead the receiver room, but the group ranks 28th in starter quality and needs a higher-caliber second or third option to emerge.

• LEDGEmedium

  Zaven Collins starts at left edge rusher for a position that ranks 26th in starter quality, and more production is needed to complement Josh Sweat on the other side.

• FSlow

  Dadrion Taylor-Demerson starts at free safety for a position that ranks 22nd in starter quality, which is a manageable concern but still worth addressing.

• HBlow

  Jeremiyah Love leads a deep backfield that ranks 22nd in starter quality but 2nd in overall depth, so adding quality at the top matters more than adding quantity.

• MIKElow

  Mack Wilson Sr starts at MIKE linebacker for a position that ranks 21st in starter quality, a moderate need that sits behind the more urgent holes elsewhere.

• RGlow

  Chase Bisontis starts at right guard for a position that ranks 21st in starter quality but 4th in depth, making this a developmental situation rather than an emergency.

• 73Baron BrowningLEDGEBaron Browning carries $5.0M in dead money on a release but would free $4.4M, and he sits behind Zaven Collins and Jordan Burch on the LEDGE depth chart with little path to snaps.Frees $4.4M · $5.0M dead
• 70Gardner MinshewQBGardner Minshew is the second-string quarterback behind Brissett and releasing him frees $2.9M against only $2.8M in dead money, making it a near-cap-neutral move that clears a roster spot.Frees $2.9M · $2.8M dead
• 68Elijah HigginsTEElijah Higgins is the second tight end behind McBride and releasing him frees $3.7M with zero dead money, making it the cleanest financial cut on the roster.Frees $3.7M · $0 dead
• 71Dante StillsDTDante Stills is a 71 overall backup defensive tackle who frees $3.7M against only $30K in dead money, offering significant cap savings for a player not in the starting rotation.Frees $3.7M · $30.0K dead
• 63Joey BlountFSJoey Blount is the second safety on the free safety depth chart and releasing him frees $1.5M against only $260K in dead money, a low-cost subtraction of a 63 overall player.Frees $1.5M · $260.0K dead

The Arizona Cardinals hand you a franchise built around an elite tight end in Trey McBride and a promising young offensive line core headlined by Paris Johnson Jr and Chase Bisontis, but the path to relevance runs squarely through solving the quarterback position. Jacoby Brissett is a caretaker starter and not a long-term answer. The defense has real problems up front, particularly at defensive tackle and WILL linebacker, and the cornerback room lacks the quality to hold up against good passing offenses. On the positive side, the young core is worth building around: Jeremiyah Love at running back is a 21-year-old Superstar, and Marvin Harrison Jr has the Star development trait to become a genuine number-one receiver. Budda Baker remains an elite safety but is in the late stage of his career, so a successor plan at the position is necessary within a couple of seasons. With $36.1M in cap room now and $150.3M projected next season, the financial picture improves dramatically, giving this front office a real window to address the roster's many holes in free agency before leaning on seven draft picks to fill depth and find developmental pieces.

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).