2025 was a significant disappointment for the Arizona Cardinals, who saw their win total decrease by five from the previous year. With a decline so drastic, it left upper management no choice but to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon. However, the team opted to retain general manager Monti Ossenfort, meaning he will be pulling the string this offseason on the coaching search, as well as free agency and draft moves.
It is safe to say that this may be Ossenfort’s last chance to save his job, as Arizona has missed the postseason in each of the three seasons he’s been in charge.
Luckily for Ossenfort, he only has one player hitting free agency who must be retained, Jalen Thompson. Everyone else hitting the market is replaceable, which means that the team won’t have to commit to a bunch of their current players long-term.
MORE: Cardinals draft target officially announces his decision
Without having to worry about retaining certain guys, this leaves the Cardinals with no excuse to spend in free agency. Right now, the team has $25.1 million in cap space to work with, and to say there are multiple needs is an understatement.
The biggest weakness right now is definitely running back, but it is definitely a safer option to address this in the NFL draft guys like Jeremiyah Love being available.
With Calais Campbell nearing the end of his career, Arizona would be wise to sign or select another pass rusher to pair with Josh Sweat on the other side. Selecting third overall in the draft, the Cardinals would benefit from selecting Rueben Bain Jr. out of the University of Miami. A projected top-five pick, Bain racked up 8.5 sacks while providing a ton of pressure on the outside. Imagine him paired not only with Sweat, but with Walter Nolen III as well.
Arizona could also benefit from signing another wide receiver to sure up their core of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson.
What we’re getting at is that there are multiple paths that the Cardinals can follow when it comes to building their roster this offseason.