If sports—with its ups and downs, thrill of victories and agony of defeat—teaches you anything, it’s to look at life as a “glass half-full” instead of “half empty.”
But let’s be honest: fans of the Arizona Cardinals would love to have a full glass one of these years.
For most of the team’s existence, fans can, at most, expect an okay season. Not good. Not great. Never perfect. But okay. We’re more accustomed to being downright awful, often looking forward to getting the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the next year’s draft. Again, “glass half-full.”
Hope is a strange thing to an Arizona Cardinals fan. There’s plenty of it going into the 2025 season. As much as we’d like to hype ourselves up about how general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Johnathan Gannon have made strides this offseason, there are always reality checks to bring us back down to earth.
PFF ranks Arizona Cardinals' roster 19th overall
One such check came from the reliable and sensible folks at Pro Football Focus. PFF posted its 2025 NFL Roster Rankings on May 29, and the assessment for the Cardinals is…not great. Not bad, but not great. The Cardinals come in at No. 19 (out of 32), just below the halfway cutoff point. To add insult to injury, the San Francisco 49ers, who finished last in the division last year, are ranked five spots higher at No. 14.
The Los Angeles Rams are the highest-ranked NFC West team, coming in at No. 6. Notably, the Seattle Seahawks are ranked below the Cardinals, at No. 22.
PFF’s estimate praised the Cardinals’ rush game in 2024, saying their “most successful offensive stretches last season came when they pounded teams into submission on the ground.” PFF ranked them ninth in rushing and 14th in run-blocking, while running back James Conner had a 90.6 rushing grade, ranked sixth overall among the league’s qualified running backs.
However, they highlighted how the 2024 Cardinals’ pass rush didn’t improve from its “putrid” stance a year prior.
“The Cardinals tied for the second-worst PFF pass-rush grade in the NFL last season. They also ranked among the bottom eight teams in pressure rate and pass-rush win rate. That showed at least partially motivated the team to acquire a slew of defensive linemen this offseason, including former Eagle Josh Sweat.”
But, it’s not all bad.
Arizona has a lot of X-factors going into the 2025 season. PFF lists Michael Wilson as the biggest potential game-changer. “His 64.5 PFF receiving grade last season represents a slight decline from his rookie season in 2023. He also recorded fewer than 60 receiving yards in every game after Week 5 in 2024. If Wilson can break out in Year 3, Arizona’s offense could be a serious two-dimensional threat,” writes PFF.
The Cardinals will need to have a multifaceted offense. The San Francisco 49ers are finalizing a deal to secure edge rusher Bryce Huff, adding to an already stacked pass rush defense. The Rams picked Josiah Stewart, who had a 92.3 PFF pass-rush grade at Michigan last season. And the Seahawks are going to wreak havoc on the Cardinals, as they often do.
And Arizona’s defensive moves are earning praise. PFF expects Will Johnson to have an immediate impact, since Arizona’s outside cornerbacks ranked 26th in PFF coverage last season. Johnson had a 91.3 PFF coverage grade across three seasons at Michigan, and, if healthy, will help Arizona turn the tables on its opponents.
We can hope for Arizona to pull a 12-5 or 11-6 record this season, but that’s going to be an uphill climb. Possible? Yes. Likely? Don’t know. At least the Cardinals have a chance. We’ll just have to hope for the best.