Cardinals Facing Major Decisions — Plus Mailbag Q&A

The Arizona Cardinals' bye week is here, though we still have questions.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon watches as his team warms up before playing against the Green Bay Packers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 19, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are on a bye week, and hopefully the week of rest will do good for a team currently on a five-game losing skid.

There's lots of questions to answer for the organization - and that rings true for us at Cardinals On SI. Thanks for responding to our latest mailbag call, which you can find here on X.

Q: Has a screen pass to Greg Dortch ever gotten more than 3 yards?

A: I certainly believe so, but I also know this question had some underlying frustration with how Drew Petzing's offense is currently ran. For what it's worth, people now suddenly miss Kliff Kingsbury... who ran more screens than practically anybody it felt like.

The offense seems to be improved with Jacoby Brissett's willingness to push the ball down the field - but there's a reason teams still utilize screen passes. As for Dortch, he's probably the best after-the-catch receiver the organization has at the moment - so if the Cardinals do want to dial up a screen, he's their guy.

Q: Buyers or sellers? Who on this team would you sell, other than Kyler Murray, or who/what position would you go after?

A: I recently answered this in a different article (which can be found here) - but I think they should stand pat. Arizona isn't nearly good enough to contend nor bad enough to sell this year. They find themselves in an odd purgatory, record be damned.

I really can't think of a good candidate to sell at the moment - maybe Jalen Thompson? Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is all but poised to be a starter next season and Thompson is a free agent after this year. It might make sense for them to try and get something before letting him walk.

As for what position to target, I'm looking at the offensive line. Maybe a replacement for Jonah Williams at right tackle?

Q: While this is a results driven business, what can you tell us about your experiences with Jonathan Gannon and/or Monti Ossenfort that humanizes them for the general public?

A: I've had the pleasure to have several interactions with both, to the point where we're on a first-name basis.

They're people just like you and I - JG is a big Drake fan such as myself and loves some espresso while Monti is a girl dad who enjoys a good movie night with the fam - but I think my biggest takeaway is: They want to win. Badly. More than fans tweeting for their jobs after every loss.

That's hard to remember sometimes when the losses are piling up like they currently are now. But those guys work tirelessly and for whatever reason it just hasn't worked thus far. The effort and care is there.

Q: What’s the easier fix right now - the Cardinals offense or defense?

A: That's a great question - I'd say the defense, only because the talent and coaching on that side of the ball seems to be much further ahead than their offensive counterparts.

And it's not like the defense has been atrocious - they've been one of the league's best for the first three quarters... and then the fourth quarter begins and some sort of switch just flips.

It feels like they're just a few minor tweaks away from really being the unit everybody hoped they'd be across a 60-minute span.

Q: Most 2 disappointing players since training camp and two players that have surprised you?

A: The team was so confident in Isaiah Adams this offseason, I myself even started sipping the juice. He didn't look bad in training camp - but the regular season was a different story.

On the other side of the ball, Darius Robinson simply hasn't taken that next step so many were hoping for. Neither the box score or film has been kind to him to start 2025.

As for two surprises, it's tough to think of guys that have really stepped up in major way. I'd go with Kei'Trel Clark - somebody who arguably could have been a roster cut if numerous starters ahead of him didn't go down. He's played well filling in for a banged-up Cardinals secondary.

Akeem Davis-Gaither has been meh in pass coverage but is one of two players to have 50+ tackles for Arizona this year.