The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $27.9 million
2026 Cap Space: $27.0 million
2027 Cap Space: $170.7 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Rounds 1-7
It’s not the end of the road, but as it stands, Arizona’s lack of truly elite players appears set to hold them back from hitting a particularly high ceiling as a team. There are ways that could change, but while this regime has put the ball in play with their Top 10 picks from the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts, I doubt we will see left tackle Paris Johnson (6th overall, 2023) or receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (4th overall, 2024) on any preseason All-Pro teams.
That would be one thing if the Cardinals had Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, or even division rival Matthew Stafford, but as electric as Kyler Murray is, the combination of his limitations as a signal-caller and the lack of elite talent around him makes it a big ask for head coach Jonathan Gannon to get this team over the top.
Arizona’s defense should be better in 2025 - they certainly invested the resources to hope that will happen - but to push the needle as a contender, they need to become fair more consistent on offense, and as it stands, it’s hard to see where that development is going to come from.
Quarterback
Starter: Kyler Murray
Backups: Jacoby Brissett, Clayton Tune
Running Back
Starters: James Conner
Backups: Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, DeeJay Dallas
Wide Receiver
Starters: Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Zay Jones
Backups: Greg Dortch, Xavier Weaver, Simi Fehoko
Tight End
Starters: Trey McBride
Backups: Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins
Offensive Line
Starters: Paris Johnson Jr., Evan Brown, Hjalte Froholdt, Isaiah Adams, Jonah Williams
Backups: Kelvin Beachum, Jake Curhan, Jon Gaines, Royce Newman, Christian Jones, Hayden Conner (6th Rd)
Offense Overview
His rookie season was a disappointment relative to the hype, but there’s still clear upside for Marvin Harrison Jr.
On the positive side, Harrison has good length at 6’4, his long strides make him fast enough once he’s able to open up, and he has spectacular hands, with the ability to twist and cleanly catch balls outside of his frame. On the negative side, Harrison lacks the sort of short-area quickness and burst you would expect from an elite prospect with his narrow frame. That lack of juice - which is where Harrison looks very different from his draft classmate, Brian Thomas Jr. - makes it difficult for Harrison to generate separation, which might be manageable, were it not for the fact that Harrison’s second defined weakness is a lack of competitive toughness at the catch point.
Fortunately, these things can be improved, and based on what Gannon said about the goals Harrison came to him with after the season, and the fact that Gannon noted all of Harrison’s testing numbers had improved during the spring, I think there’s reason for optimism there, because Harrison is not a bad athlete by any means. He just needs an extra 10, 15% in his short-area burst, and if he re-focused his well-regarded work ethic to time in the weight room instead of the jugs machine, he might be able to correct two issues at once, because the same strength and explosion that would improve his quickness would also make him a physically stronger player, which could certainly translate to the catch point.
Whether or not Harrison makes those improvements, Arizona would benefit from diversifying his role, because there’s no question he was asked to run a very difficult route tree as a rookie, particularly once it became clear he was lacking in physical traits required to thrive in that role. Throw in the fact that Kyler Murray is less than consistent working on time within the route concept, and you get a season where Harrison produces a “disappointing” 885 yards.
Around Harrison, the Cardinals will likely have more of the same. Right guard Isaiah Adams, a 2024 3rd-rounder, started several games down the back end of the season and looked like a solid starter, which means the offensive line should be at a similar level assuming they get better health at the offensive tackle position, where Paris Johnson and Jonah Williams both missed time last season. Trey McBride is a terrific receiver at tight end, and while James Conner may be hard-pressed to stay as healthy as he did, the Cardinals have depth at running back in second-year player Trey Benson and satellite back Emari Demercado.
If Harrison can boost an otherwise nondescript receiver group, it will help, but whether or not Arizona takes the next step will ultimately come back to Kyler Murray. He’s a blast to watch, but at this point, it seems as if his physical limitations, and the play style he’s forced to employ, are going to be a limiting factor when it comes from getting into the discussion as one of the game’s elite quarterbacks. Kyler is going to continue to win games, and he’ll be a blast to watch while he goes about his business, but at this point, it’s hard to see him developing into the driving engine of a Super Bowl contender.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, Darius Robinson
Backups: Walter Nolen (1st Rd), Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones
Edge
Starters: Josh Sweat, Baron Browning
Backups: Zaven Collins, BJ Ojulari
Linebackers
Starters: Mack Wilson Sr., Akeem Davis-Gaither
Backups: Cody Simon (4th Rd), Owen Pappoe
Safety
Starters: Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson
Backups: Joey Blount, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Kitan Crawford (7th Rd)
Slot
Starter: Garrett Williams
Backups: Kei’Trel Clark
Outside CB
Starters: Max Melton, Will Johnson (2nd Rd)
Backups: Starling Thomas, Denzel Burke (5th Rd), Elijah Jones (2024 3rd), Sean Murphy-Bunting (IR)
Defense Overview
The flip side of the discussion on Paris Johnson and Marvin Harrison is that while they weren’t instant All-Pros, they were reliable, productive contributors who look set to play in the NFL for a long time.
The same can not be said of Darius Robinson, the 27th pick in the 2024 Draft, and the third first-rounder taken by general manager Monti Ossenfort in his time at the helm in Arizona. Robinson struggled with injuries early in the season, missing the first 11 games, and failed to move the needle on his return, totaling one sack and one TFL while playing roughly 50% of the snaps. Arizona will hope that Robinson makes a jump in his second season, and that Walter Nolen, their first round pick in this year’s draft, has a faster learning curve. The Cardinals added a pair of familiar names in Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson, but while the veteran duo should bring a level of stability to this line, it’s the young guys who are going to put it over the top.
The Cardinals should have more juice on the edge, where free-agent addition Josh Sweat leads the way. In his time in Philadelphia, Sweat stood out both as a run-stuffer and pass-rusher, which could allow Baron Browning to play to his strengths getting upfield on the other side. Arizona also has Zaven Collins and BJ Ojulari in the edge rotation, which leaves the Cardinals with a good rotation even if they lack an ace, and that’s without accounting for any contributions from third-rounder Jordan Burch.
The back end of the defense is a dark horse to be a pretty good unit; it will hinge on second-rounder Will Johnson, who needs to be a quality starter at outside cornerback for this to shake out, but Max Melton, their 2024 second-round pick, had a very solid rookie season at the corner spot opposite Johnson, Jalen Thompson is a steady player at one safety spot, and Budda Baker remains one of the more dynamic backend playmakers in the league playing in his “rover” position in this defense. Their issues in the front, and at the second corner spot, prevented these players from amounting to much in 2024, but the final result could look different with the additions to the line, even if the starting linebacker tandem of Mack Wilson Sr. and Akeem Davis-Gaither profiles as arguably the most underwhelming pairing in the league.
Overall Outlook
The Cardinals should be competitive in 2024, but I don’t see them as more than a middle-of-the-road team, which is tough in this division. The Rams should be back in the thick of teams, the 49ers ares setting up to rebound around Brock Purdy, and while Seattle’s wholesale roster reconstruction has the chance to blow up on the launchpad, there’s also plenty of upside if the reconfiguration comes together.
Arizona is a fun team to watch; between the quarterback’s style and the schematic creativity on defense, there’s a lot to like here, and they seem to be pulling the right levers from a roster-building standpoint. Gannon and Ossenfort just need a couple of their doubles to turn into triples and home runs, which has as much to do with luck as it does evaluating chops. We’ll see where it goes; Arizona should be competitive again, but short of multiple players taking their individual games from great to elite, I’m not betting on this crew to bring a Lombardi back to the desert.