Quarterback

When Jonathan Gannon took over as the Cardinals’ head coach following the 2022 season, the Cardinals were arguably in the worst situation in the NFL. The Cardinals had the oldest roster in the NFL in 2022 and ranked 8th in roster average annual salary, which tends to correlate heavily with winning percentage, but they went just 4-13. Going into 2023, the Cardinals were in need of a major teardown and rebuild and, one of their few young bright spots, quarterback Kyler Murray, was set to miss the first half of the season after tearing his ACL late in 2022.

With their average age going all the way down to 31st in the NFL and their roster average annual value also falling to 27th, the Cardinals’ 2023 season started about as expected, as they lost eight of their first nine games, but they improved significantly when Murray returned, surprisingly going 3-5 down the stretch and showing promise going into the future. The Cardinals had two first round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but didn’t do much in free agency, leaving them with a roster average annual value that still ranked just 28th, so expectations were still not high going into 2024.

However, the Cardinals managed to exceed expectations for the second straight season, with Jonathan Gannon constantly getting the most out of his players again. They fell short of the post-season at 8-9, but were better than that suggests in terms of first down rate differential at +1.13% and yards per play differential at +0.31, led by an offense that ranked 7th in both first down rate and yards per play. Now going into 2025, the Cardinals were aggressive this off-season, particularly when it came to making much needed upgrades to their defense and, as a result, they now rank 10th in roster average annual value and look like they could be a playoff team, especially if Gannon continues to coach at a high level.

Murray was a big part of the Cardinals’ offensive success last season, completing 68.8% of his passes for an average of 7.12 YPA, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, while averaging 7.33 YPC with 5 touchdowns on 78 carries. Overall, he ranked 12th among quarterbacks with a 82.1 PFF grade. That’s largely in line with how he has played throughout his career, completing 67.1% of his passes for an average of 7.01 YPA, 115 touchdowns, and 57 interceptions, while averaging 6.00 YPC on 31 touchdowns on 503 carries, with a PFF grade above 80 in three of six seasons in the league. He’s also not really injury prone, only missing four games in his career aside from the time missed with a torn ACL, which he seems to be fully recovered from. Still only in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2025.

The Cardinals also improved the backup quarterback situation this off-season in case Murray does happen to miss time, signing Jacoby Brissett, who has started 53 games in nine seasons in the league, completing 61.1% of his passes for an average of 6.47 YPA, 53 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. The Cardinals would be in trouble if he had to start for an extended period of time, but you could say the same thing about most teams if their starting quarterback got hurt and, all things considered, having Brissett as your backup is better than most teams’ quarterback situations. If he needs to make a couple spot starts, it won’t be the end of the Cardinals’ playoff chances.

Grade: B+

Receiving Corps

One of the key players who has broken out in the past couple years to accelerate the Cardinals’ rebuild is tight end Trey McBride. A second round pick in 2022, McBride didn’t do much as a rookie, with a 29/265/1 slash line and 0.84 yards per route run, and he was off to a similarly slow start to the 2023 season, but he suddenly broke out down the stretch when Murray got healthy, as McBride had a 55/538/2 slash line in the final eight games of the season with Murray under center, which extrapolates to 117/1143/4 over 17 games. 

McBride then continued that into 2024, finishing with a 111/1146/2 slash line in 16 games. In terms of yards per route run, McBride ranked 3rd among tight ends in 2024 with 2.14 and his 86.8 PFF grade ranked 2nd among tight ends. The Cardinals extended him on a 4-year, 76 million dollar deal this off-season that makes him the second highest paid tight end in the league, but I think he is still underpaid as the tight end position is underpaid overall. Think about it this way, McBride’s receiving yardage last season would have been 10th among wide receivers, but his average annual salary would rank just 21st among wide receivers and he isn’t just a good receiver, as he also holds his own as a blocker as well.

One thing that could take this offense to the next level would be a breakout season from Marvin Harrison, who they selected 4th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft because of his massive upside. Harrison wasn’t bad as a rookie, but he wasn’t quite as good as expected, with a 62/885/8 slash line on 116 targets with a 1.63 yards per route run average. However, he still has a massive upside and I would be surprised if he didn’t at least take somewhat of a step forward in 2025, with a strong possibility that he takes a big step forward.

Michael Wilson remains the primary wide receiver opposite Harrison, which makes him a distant third in the pecking order. Wilson was a third round pick in 2023 and showed some promise as a rookie, with a 38/565/3 slash line and 1.36 yards per route run on just 58 targets, but he took a step back in a bigger role in 2024, seeing his targets increase to 71, but still producing around the same level, with a 47/548/4 slash line, and seeing his yards per route run average drop to 1.09. Wilson is still only in his age 25 season and could bounce back to his rookie year efficiency or possibly even have his most efficient year yet in his third season in the league in 2025, but he won’t be a big part of this offense unless McBride or Harrison suffer a significant injury. 

Greg Dortch was the third wide receiver last season and he was underwhelming with a 37/342/3 slash line and a 1.18 yards per route run average, which is in line with the 6-year veteran’s career average of 1.22 yards per route run, but he is likely to remain in that role for another season, without a better option being added this off-season. His primary competition for the job will be veteran Zay Jones, who once was a solid receiver, with a 47/546/1 slash line and 1.38 yards per route run in 2021 and a 82/823/5 slash line and 1.44 yards per route run in 2022, but he has seen his yards per route run average drop to 1.05 in 2023 and 0.50 in 2024 and now he heads into his age 30 season, so his best days are likely behind him. He figures to remain the #4 wide receiver at best for another season.

Behind McBride at tight end, Tip Reiman (451 snaps) and Elijah Higgins (412 snaps) saw roles last season. Both were decent blockers, but Higgins was by far the better of the two as a receiver, with 1.01 yards per route run, as opposed to 0.34 for Reiman, leading to Higgins finishing with a 61.9 PFF grade overall, as opposed to 49.3 for Reiman. Reiman might be the favorite for the #2 tight end job this season though, as he was only rookie last season and, as a former third round pick, he has the higher upside of the two options. Higgins, a 2023 6th round pick who also had a 63.6 PFF grade on 191 snaps as a rookie, will probably continue seeing a situational role either way, but Reiman will likely play more snaps than he does. This is a top heavy receiving corps, led by Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison, but this group could be better than a year ago, if Harrison takes a step forward and/or if Michael Wilson bounces back from an underwhelming second season in the league. 

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Another young player who has accelerated the Cardinals’ rebuild is Paris Johnson. The 6th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Johnson had a nondescript rookie year with a 60.1 PFF grade in 17 starts at right tackle, before breaking out at left tackle in 2024, with a 80.8 PFF grade in 14 starts. Johnson is technically a one-year wonder, but he entered the league with a huge upside, so there is a good chance he has permanently turned a corner and will remain an elite left tackle going forward and it’s also possible he still has further untapped upside, still only going into his age 24 season. I expect another strong season from him.

The rest of this offensive line is basically the same as a year ago, when they ranked 4th on PFF in pass block grade and 13th in run block grade. Left guard Evan Brown and center Hjalte Froholdt started all 17 games last season and will remain at those spots in 2025. Brown was decent, but unspectacular with a 65.9 PFF grade and I expect more of the same from him. Brown is going into his age 29 season and has mostly been a capable starter over the past four seasons, with PFF grades of 66.8, 64.8, and 55.5 in the three seasons prior to last, while making 57 total starts over that 4-year period.

For Froholdt, his 76.1 PFF grade in 2024 was a career best by a pretty wide margin. A 2019 4th round pick, Froholdt was a late bloomer, playing just 61 snaps in three and a half seasons before taking over a starting role until midway through his fourth season in the league, when he finished with a 61.4 PFF grade in 6 starts with the Browns. The Cardinals took a chance on him as a free agent and it has paid off, as he continued that decent play into his first full season as a starter in 2023, when he had a 64.1 PFF grade in 17 starts, before taking a big step forward in 2024. It’s very possible Froholdt won’t replicate the best year of his career again in 2025, but he should at least be a reliable starting center, with the upside to continue being an above average starter if he has permanently turned a corner.

Unlike at left guard and center, the Cardinals had significant injury issues at right guard and right tackle last season, where expected starters Will Hernandez and Jonah Williams played well with PFF grades of 69.3 and 70.7 respectively, but were limited to just 5 starts and 6 starts respectively by injury. Hernandez was replaced by career backup Trystan Colon, who played pretty well with a 71.0 PFF grade across 386 snaps, but was still benched down the stretch for third round rookie Isaiah Adams, who was mediocre with a 58.4 PFF grade across 462 snaps. 

Hernandez and Colon were not retained this off-season, so Adams will remain the starter, despite his underwhelming performance down the stretch. He could take a step forward in his second season in the league, but that is not a guarantee and the Cardinals are taking a risk by not having a good alternative on the roster, with their top reserve guard likely being Royce Newman, a 2021 4th round pick who made 24 starts for the Packers from 2021-2023, but who finished below 60 on PFF in all three of those seasons, before getting waived last off-season and spending 2024 in Tampa, where he played just three snaps.

At right tackle, Williams was replaced by the seemingly ageless Kelvin Beachum, who performed decently with a 64.1 PFF grade in 12 starts. A 13-year veteran, Beachum has never finished below 60 on PFF for a season and, while his days as a full-time starter are likely over, heading into his age 36 season, Beachum is still good depth behind Williams, who the Cardinals are hoping to get a healthier season out of. 

Williams has missed at least six games with injury in three of six seasons in the league, but he has generally played well when healthy, finishing above 60 on PFF in all but one season, with three seasons above 70. Still only in his age 28 season, the former first round pick of the Bengals has obvious upside if healthy, but it is probably a good thing the Cardinals have a solid insurance option behind him in Kelvin Beachum, given Williams’ injury history. The Cardinals’ offensive line is middling overall outside of left tackle Paris Johnson, but Paris Johnson significantly elevates the overall grade of the group by himself.

Grade: B+

Running Backs

The Cardinals’ running game was the most effective part of their offense last season, ranking second in the NFL with 5.29 YPC. Kyler Murray was a big part of the reason for the Cardinals’ success on the ground, not only averaging 7.33 YPC himself, but also freeing up space for running backs with his dual threat ability, but featured running back James Conner also had a great season, rushing for 1,094 yards and 8 touchdowns on 236 carries (4.64 YPC), while receiving a 90.4 grade on PFF, 5th best among running backs.

Conner is going into his age 30 season in 2025 with 1,642 career touches, so he’s right around where running backs start to drop off significantly, but he also has arguably had the best two seasons of his career in his last two seasons, exceeding 1000 yards rushing in both seasons for the only two times in his career, while averaging 4.81 YPC on a combined 444 carries, as opposed to 4.18 YPC in his first six seasons in the league. Conner also had a 47/414/1 slash line and 1.54 yards per route run last season and has a 1.19 yards per route run average for his career. I wouldn’t expect him to be quite as good again in 2025, given his age, but he still has a good chance to remain at least a solid lead back.

With Conner getting up there in age, the Cardinals used a third round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Trey Benson with the intention of having him give Conner more regular rest in the short-term and potentially taking over for him as the starter in the long-term. Benson was decent as a rookie, averaging 4.62YPC, but he didn’t have much of a role, managing just 63 carries in 13 games. Now in his second season in the league with Conner being another year older, I would expect Benson’s role to grow and he has the talent to do well in that expanded role. 

Emari Demercado was their primary backup in passing situations last season and he could remain in that role, even if Benson has an expanded role. Demercado, a 2023 undrafted free agent, averaged 1.11 yards per route run last season after only averaging 0.73 yards per route run as a rookie. Demercado also averaged 9.29 yards per carry last season, but it came on just 24 carries, mostly against defenses that were expecting the run. Conner will remain the lead back and Benson will have a big role as the backup, but Demercado could remain involved in a situational role as well.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

While the Cardinals’ offense is almost identical to last season, when they were a well above average unit, their defense looks much different than a year ago, a good thing, as the Cardinals finished 23rd in yards per play allowed and 29th first down rate allowed. Their biggest single addition on defense this off-season probably edge defender Josh Sweat, who they signed to a 4-year, 76.4 million dollar deal. Sweat has finished above 70 on PFF in pass rush grade in five straight seasons, totaling 39 sacks, 47 hits, and a 11.5% pressure rate in 79 games over that stretch, while also mostly playing solid run defense. Still only going into his age 28 season, he should continue playing at that level into 2025. He was a great value and should be a big upgrade for the Cardinals on the edge.

The Cardinals also used a third round pick on Oregon’s Jordan Burch and are getting 2023 second round pick BJ Olujari back from a torn ACL that cost him all of last season, after he flashed potential with a 64.8 PFF grade across 409 snaps and a 12.4% pressure rate as a rookie. Sweat, Burch, and Olujari are being added to a position group that attempted to deal with their lack of talent last season by using a heavy rotation, with seven players playing at least 150 snaps, but only one of them playing more than 300 snaps. 

That one player is Zaven Collins, who should continue having a role, even in a more talented position group. A first round pick in 2021, Collins began his career as an inside linebacker, but has been better off since switching to the edge over the past two seasons, finishing with a 72.1 PFF grade across 637 snaps in 2023 and a 72.0 PFF grade across 600 snaps in 2024, totaling 8.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 10.9% pressure rate in 34 games, while particularly playing well against the run, including a 85.4 run defense grade in 2024 that was 4th best in the league among edge defender. Still only in his age 26 season, Collins should continue playing at a similar level in 2025 and should still have a role, particularly in base packages as a run stuffer.

The Cardinals should also get more out of Baron Browning than they did a year ago, as the only reason he just played 232 snaps for the Cardinals last season is because they traded for him mid-season and he played just eight games as a result. Browning isn’t much of a run defender, but he has 11.5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 13.2% pressure rate in 37 games while averaging 464 snaps per season over the past three seasons and will continue having a rotational role, after being kept on a 2-year, 15 million dollar deal this off-season. Xavier Thomas, a 2024 5th round pick, is the only other holdover remaining on the roster from a year ago, but he struggled mightily with a 39.4 PFF grade across 208 snaps and could ultimately find himself on the outside looking in for a final roster spot in what is a much deeper position group this season.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The Cardinals also made several additions at the interior defender position, much needed because their top-3 interior defenders in terms of snap count last season were LJ Collier (588 snaps), Dante Stills (532 snaps), and Roy Lopez (464 snaps), who finished with PFF grades of 49.2, 57.0, and 54.9 respectively. In free agency, the Cardinals added Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell on contracts of 2 years, 29 million and 1 year, 5.5 million respectively.

Tomlinson is going into his age 31 season and is coming off back-to-back down seasons, with PFF grades of 63.3 and 67.4 on snap counts of 617 and 609, after finishing above 70 on PFF in each of his first six seasons in the league prior to that. Given his age, it’s likely his best years are behind him, but he could still remain a solid starting interior defender for at least another season. His run defense is primarily what has declined, but he has still totaled 6 sacks, 22 hits, and a 10.2% pressure rate in 32 games over the past two seasons, which is actually an improvement over the 19 sacks, 46 hits, and 7.5% pressure rate he has in 125 career games.

Campbell is even older, going into his age 39 season, making him the oldest defensive player in the league by three years, but he is seemingly ageless, posting a 82.3 PFF grade across 616 snaps in 2024 that was his best single-season grade since 2019. In total, Campbell has finished above 70 on PFF in fourteen straight seasons, including nine seasons over 80 and four seasons over 90. Over that stretch, he has totaled 97.5 sacks, 166 hits, and a 10.1% pressure rate in 213 games, while also playing the run well and averaging 49.0 snaps per game. At his age, a significant drop off is very possible, but he could also remain at least a useful starter for another season. By signing with the Cardinals this off-season, Campbell returns to the team who drafted him in the second round in 2008 and with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career.

With Tomlinson and Campbell both on the wrong side of 30, the Cardinals used their first round pick this year on a younger option, taking Walter Nolen 16th overall. He has a huge upside and could also make an immediate impact in a rotational role. He’s also the second straight interior defender the Cardinals have drafted in the first round, as they used their other first round pick in 2024 on Darius Robinson. Robinson missed most of his rookie season with injury, limited to 184 snaps in six games, and he struggled mightily even when on the field, with a 48.4 PFF grade, but he still has a high upside and could be a lot better in his second season in the league if he is healthier. He also figures to rotate heavily with Tomlinson, Campbell, and Nolen.

The Cardinals are also getting back Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols after they missed most of last season with injury, limited to 100 snaps in 3 games and 173 snaps in 6 games respectively, after being signed to deals worth 3 years, 31.165 million and 3 years, 21 million in free agency last off-season. In a much deeper and more talented position group this season, Jones and Nichols are unlikely to see significant roles and both were overpaid as free agents anyway. Jones has finished below 60 on PFF in six of seven seasons in the league, including four seasons under 50, while Nichols has finished below 60 on PFF in three straight seasons. The Cardinals are much better off for not needing them to play significant roles this season.

LJ Collier and Dante Stills also remain on the roster as of this writing, but both may be long shots to make the final roster, given all of the Cardinals’ additions at this position this off-season. Collier is a bust as a 2019 first round pick, finishing below 60 on PFF in all six seasons in the league. Stills, meanwhile, is a 2023 6th round pick who has finished with PFF grades of 59.3 and 57.0 over the past two seasons. Collier and Stills led this position group in snaps last season, but with Tomlinson, Campbell, and Nolen all being added and Robinson, Jones, and Nichols all expected to be healthier, the Cardinals don’t have much need for them any more. This is a much improved position group.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

The Cardinals also signed Akeem Davis-Gaither in free agency, bringing the linebacker in on a 2-year, 10 million dollar deal, but he is not as impactful as the Cardinals’ other off-season additions. A 2020 4th round pick, Davis-Gaither only played 847 underwhelming snaps in the first four seasons of his career, before playing a bigger role in 2024, when he played 535 snaps, but he didn’t perform any better, finishing with a 59.0 PFF grade. Davis-Gaither is replacing Kyzir White, who had a 48.8 PFF grade across 1,015 snaps last season, so it won’t be hard for Davis-Gaither to be an upgrade, but he is still an underwhelming option.

Davis-Gaither will start next to Mack Wilson, who was decent with a 63.8 PFF grade across 760 snaps last season. That was the first season of his 6-year career in which he played more than 400 snaps and finished above 60 on PFF, but he also had a 81.5 PFF grade across 305 snaps in 2023 and, only in his age 27 season, it’s possible he’s permanently turned a corner and will remain a solid starter going forward. Even if that is the case, however, Davis-Gaither and Wilson are an underwhelming linebacker duo and the Cardinals’ depth behind them isn’t great either, with 2023 5th round pick Owen Rappoe, who has played 245 nondescript snaps in two seasons in the league, and 4th round rookie Cody Simon as their top reserve options. 

Grade: C+

Secondary

The Cardinals also used a second round pick on Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. Johnson was arguably the best cornerback in the draft and could have been a top-10 pick, but concerns about the durability of his knee long-term dropped him into the middle of the second round. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a massive steal for the Cardinals. For now, it sounds like he will be healthy enough for the Cardinals off-season program and will compete for a role in what is a very young cornerback group overall.

The Cardinals’ top cornerback and probably the only one locked into a role is slot cornerback Garrett Williams, a 2023 3rd round pick who broke out last season with a 82.0 PFF grade across 778 snaps, after posting an underwhelming 56.7 PFF grade across 360 snaps as a rookie. Williams is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at last season and might not be quite as good again in 2025 as he was in 2024, but even if he regressed somewhat, he should still remain an above average slot cornerback and he has the potential to be one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league for years to come. 

In addition to taking Will Johnson in the second round of this year’s draft and Garrett Williams in the third round of the 2023 draft, the Cardinals used second and third round picks on Max Melton and Elijah Jones in the 2024 draft. Melton was mediocre with a 55.5 PFF grade across 565 snaps as a rookie, while Jones missed his entire rookie season with injury, but both could provide more value in their second season in the league and should compete for roles. 

The Cardinals also have Starling Thomas, who, while he went undrafted in the 2023 draft, is also a young cornerback who will compete for a role. After struggling mightily with a 46.1 PFF grade across 473 snaps as a rookie, he was serviceable with a 60.9 PFF grade across 817 snaps last season. The Cardinals are probably hoping one of their higher upside, higher drafted cornerbacks can step up and take over a bigger role from Thomas, but Thomas isn’t a bad option to have either.

The veteran of this cornerback group is Sean Murphy-Bunting, a 2019 second round pick of the Buccaneers who is heading into the second year of a 3-year, 25.5 million dollar deal he signed with the Cardinals last off-season. Murphy-Bunting struggled with a 56.5 PFF grade across 725 snaps in his first season in Arizona and, while he has had some better years, he has also finished below 60 on PFF in four of six seasons in the league and there is a good chance he remains mediocre in 2025. His 8 million dollar salary is guaranteed, ensuring his roster spot, but he is not guaranteed to continue having a significant role in a young cornerback group that has other options. 

Unlike at cornerback, the Cardinals have a veteran duo at safety, where Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker are heading into their 7th straight season as the Cardinals safety duo, but both are still under 30 and are unlikely to regress in 2025. Thompson has played 84 games in six seasons in the league, starting 72 of them, including all 47 games he has played in the past three seasons. He’s never been a spectacular player, but he has finished above 60 on PFF in all six seasons in the league, with his career best coming in 2023, when he finished with a 71.3 grade. Still only in his age 27 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2025.

Baker, meanwhile, has started 112 of the 122 games he has played since being selected in the second round in the 2017 NFL Draft, including all 92 he has played in over the past six seasons. Like Thompson, he has also exceeded 60 on PFF in every season in the league and he’s shown a higher upside than Thompson, exceeding 70 on PFF in five of those eight seasons, including a career best 77.8 grade in 2024. Still only in his age 29 season, I would expect him to continue being an above average starting safety, even if he might not repeat his career best 2024 campaign.

If either Thompson or Baker miss time with injury, the Cardinals could still be in good hands because 2024 4th round pick Dadrion Taylor-Demerson showed a lot of potential in a reserve role as a rookie, with a 75.5 PFF grade across 258 snaps. He might not be able to keep up that level of play as an every down starter if needed, but he’s still young with upside and he’s a better third safety option than most teams have. The Cardinals’ secondary has a good chance to be better than a year ago, given how many young cornerback options they have that could potentially give them more than they gave them a year ago.

Grade: B+

Kicker

The Cardinals began last season with Matt Prater as their kicker and he excelled, making all six of his field goals and all ten of his extra points in four games, but then he got hurt and was replaced by Chad Ryland. Ryland, a 4th round pick by the Patriots in 2023, was a disaster as a rookie in New England, making just 64.0% of his field goals and finishing the season with a league worst 15.46 points below average, leading to his release from New England after just one season. 

However, he was a lot better in Arizona last season, making 87.5% of his field goals and accumulating 1.81 points above average. With Prater a free agent going into his age 41 season this off-season, the Cardinals opted not to bring him back and instead are going with the younger Ryland going forward. He’s still pretty unproven and it’s possible he could regress in 2025, but he also came into the league with a lot of potential and has a good chance to continue being a solid kicker for the Cardinals going forward.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Cardinals ranked 7th in both yards per play and first down rate last season and bring back every offensive player who played at least 400 snaps for them last season. Their defense was a problem, as they ranked 23rd in yards per play allowed and 29th first down rate allowed, but they should be significantly healthier on defense, after having the fourth most adjusted games lost to injury on defense last season, and they made several key off-season additions as well, most notably edge defenders Josh Sweat, interior defenders Dalvin Tomlinson and Walter Nolen, and cornerback Will Johnson. If their offense can remain a top-10 unit and their defense can improve to even being a middling unit, the potential is there for this to be a playoff team in 2025, especially since they have a weak schedule.

Prediction: 11-6, 2nd in NFC West