Cardinals to focus on defense as free agency approaches
With the Cardinals in their second year of a roster rebuild, they will look to use free agency — which starts with the negotiating period on Monday at noon followed by the official start on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. — to address critical positional needs like cornerback and pass-rusher, both inside and on the edge. However, the expectation is that the Cardinals won’t be very active when the negotiating period opens while they wait for the first wave of agreements to pass. A splash agreement on Monday is possible, although the finances of a deal will play a major factor in the Cardinals’ approach. Once the first wave passes, the Cardinals are likely to be active on Thursday and Friday.
The balance for the Cardinals will be between their evaluation of the free agent market and their financial valuation, which, general manager Monti Ossenfort said, will be set in the next couple of days.
“I think when you marry those things, that if there’s an evaluation that we like, and then the market says the value is a place that we like, we’re gonna strike. And we’ll be aggressive in that, knowing that, ‘Hey, that’s a way that we can improve our roster.’ But also being smart about it and making smart choices for our team, not only this year, but it’s got ramifications moving forward too,” Ossenfort said.
Once the first wave passes, the Cardinals are likely to be active on Thursday and Friday with second-tier defensive free agents who’ll be expected to start from Day 1, similar to how the Philadelphia Eagles approached free agency in 2022 when they signed linebacker Haason Reddick to a big deal and complemented him with cornerback Andre Chachere, safety Anthony Harris, defensive end Derek Barnett and linebacker Kyzir White. Chachere and White were both added to the Cardinals’ roster last season after Gannon, who coached them both with the Eagles in 2022, was hired by the Cardinals in 2023.
While Arizona may give out one big-money contract this year in free agency, it’ll likely try to sign players to smaller and shorter deals to fill in their needs. On Friday, they signed former first-round pick and defensive tackle L.J. Collier.
The team will likely try to address defensive line, pass rush and cornerback. The Cardinals allowed the second-most points per game (26.8) last season and ranked No. 29 in pass rush win rate (35.3%). Arizona also had just 33 sacks last season, their fewest in the past 10 years.
Former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins is considered a “high” priority for Arizona, a source told ESPN, but he may command more than the Cardinals are willing to spend. Defensive lineman like Leonard Williams, DJ Reader, Grover Stewart or even Sheldon Rankins could be possibilities for Arizona.
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Gannon said at the combine that there are some free agent defensive linemen available who have shown they can “wreck games.” However, who Arizona pursues will be determined by their fit in defensive coordinator Nick Rallis’ scheme.
“That’s a premium position for a reason,” Gannon said. “Versatility is a word that I use for D-lineman, as well. Obviously be a stud in the run game, in the pass game, but can you move around and play different things? And the game-wreckers typically can.”
This year’s edge rusher class is deep, with the likes of Danielle Hunter, Chase Young, Bryce Huff, Jonathan Greenard, Jadeveon Clowney, Josh Uche, Za’Darius Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel among the pass-rushers on the market. It’s also likely that Arizona will pay close attention to the cornerback market, which will include Kendall Fuller, Chidobe Awuzie, Kenny Moore II, Xavien Howard, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Darious Williams.
Aside from defense, the Cardinals will likely address their wide receiver need via free agency, a trade or the draft. Gannon said he’d like to have upcoming free agent Marquise Brown back, though “there’s an economic piece to that.” The team has also been linked to the top WR prospect in the draft, former Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid has Harrison as the first non-QB off the board at No. 4, the pick the Cardinals hold.
Gannon implied during the combine that Arizona won’t shy away from players on their second or third deals.
“You find good football players anywhere,” Gannon said. “But they have to make sure that they fit the price of admission because not everybody does that, and that’s OK. And there’s an economic piece to it, so you have to balance that, as well.
“So, I’m glad Monti does that because I’m not smart enough to do that. But I think that room will continue to ascend.”