NFL offseason grades: Arizona Cardinals get D-minus

The Arizona Cardinals made moves this offseason. They haven’t been particularly popular. In fact, in offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams, NFL.com’s Matt Okada nearly gave the Cardinals a failing grade for their offseason work.

My low grade on the Cardinals is dictated heavily by my disapproval of their most notable move. Teams coming off 3-14 seasons should not draft running backs, no matter how talented they are. Love might be among the best running backs in the league from Day 1 in Arizona, but it’s a position with a low overall franchise impact and a historically short shelf life. Saquon Barkley was excellent after going second overall … and the Giants never won the division during his six-year tenure.

Elsewhere, Arizona released Kyler Murray and did next to nothing to seriously address the quarterback position in the present or future (unless you love 24-year-old rookie Carson Beck). The Cardinals’ most noteworthy add in free agency was Seumalo. It’s possible OG Chase Bisontis (34th overall pick) and DT Kaleb Proctor (104th) end up being nice draft values, but the Cards are still a long way from seeing those picks translate into wins.

My low grade on the Cardinals is dictated heavily by my disapproval of their most notable move. Teams coming off 3-14 seasons should not draft running backs, no matter how talented they are. Love might be among the best running backs in the league from Day 1 in Arizona, but it’s a position with a low overall franchise impact and a historically short shelf life. Saquon Barkley was excellent after going second overall … and the Giants never won the division during his six-year tenure.

Elsewhere, Arizona released Kyler Murray and did next to nothing to seriously address the quarterback position in the present or future (unless you love 24-year-old rookie Carson Beck). The Cardinals’ most noteworthy add in free agency was Seumalo. It’s possible OG Chase Bisontis (34th overall pick) and DT Kaleb Proctor (104th) end up being nice draft values, but the Cards are still a long way from seeing those picks translate into wins.

While the criticism of taking Love makes sense at one level, especially when it comes to value. However, who should they have selected instead? The best players outside of Love were other non-premium positions. Arvell Reese perhaps would have been a nice EDGE, but if he wasn’t viewed as a true edge rusher and more of a pass-rushing off-ball player, it is understandable.

The Cardinals’ other moves deserve criticism. They were desperate to move off of Murray, even though he would have been clearly their best option for 2026. Instead, they have a contract dispute with journeyman Jacoby Brissett, they have another journeyman in Gardner Minshew and they have Beck, a third-round rookie.

They did nothing to improve their pass rush, possibly their weakest area on the team.

They added some depth pieces, and their skill players are nice, but when the defense isn’t good and the quarterback isn’t either, have they really improved?

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL offseason grades: Arizona Cardinals get D-minus