Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett drew criticism after an underwhelming Week 2 performance, failing to reach even 100 passing yards in the team's 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But to be fair, it's difficult for any quarterback in the league to generate offense when the line repeatedly fails to hold its own.
Part of that can be attributed to a strong Seahawks defensive line and an incredibly well-balanced unit overall. Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur called this the best defense in football heading into their Week 2 matchup, and unfortunately Arizona's offensive struggles only further validated that claim.
It already served as a reminder that the Cardinals must move on from Brissett as their starter, ideally sooner rather than later, even if it means a midseason switch to third-round rookie Carson Beck. But in all likelihood, the Cardinals' long-term solution at the position isn't on the roster yet, with a good chance of finding that missing piece in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
It's only a matter of time before they resolve their quarterback problems. In theory, that should take this offense to yet another level by unlocking the playmaking of Trey McBride, Jeremiyah Love, and a deep, underrated group of wide receivers, many of whom stood out in the preseason.
But for this formula to truly work, Arizona needs to have a better offensive line. The injury to second-round rookie Chase Bisontis is already hurting them significantly.
Monti Ossenfort skipped a step in building Arizona's offense
Arizona's offensive line ranks below average per PFF, and it's largely because the right side of the line is holding them back.
Bisontis was already looking like a second-round steal for the Cardinals before his injury, even forcing Isaiah Adams into a training camp battle. Unfortunately, that momentum was derailed when Bisontis suffered a torn MCL in the Cardinals preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Cardinals then placed Bisontis on the Injured Reserve list, effectively ending his rookie season before it even started.
It's encouraging that Arizona is already missing Bisontis, since he should provide value immediately upon returning from injury next season. It's also not like this injury crushed Arizona's playoff hopes in 2026. Still, the offensive line has been an issue throughout this rebuild, and Bisontis' absence has only exacerbated that problem in the short term.
There's a lot of spotlight on whether Arizona made the right offseason investments in this offense. They reworked Brissett's contract and addressed their running game in a major way, signing Tyler Allgeier in free agency and drafting Notre Dame product Jeremiyah Love No. 3 overall. But it seems Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort skipped a step in building this roster, placing too much emphasis on these skill positions.
Arizona has somehow overlooked the most important positions in football. While their search for the quarterback of the future continues, let's not forget they still need more pieces to actually protect this hypothetical face of the franchise.
Maybe it's a good thing Brissett is the stopgap this season, since the line doesn't seem ready to protect a significant asset yet.
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