5 Big Gambles the Cardinals Made This Offseason: Have They Paid Off?

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-3 to start 2026. Here's what hasn't paid off for them.

Aug 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur watches from the sidelines against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-3 through the first four weeks of 2026.

It's been an overall mixed bag for head coach Mike LaFleur, as the Cardinals have been far more competitive than initially imagined — sitting just a play here or there from a 3-1 record — though Arizona hasn't found the ability to win games.

It's still very early in the season, though the Cardinals' offseason is slowly beginning to reveal results.

Here are Arizona's five biggest gambles this offseason, and why they haven't paid off early in 2026:

Not Upgrading The Pass Rush

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat (10) walks off the field after their 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals opted to bypass opportunities to upgrade their 2025 pass rush that ranked in the bottom of the league last season in terms of sacks and pressure numbers, hoping for improvement from a handful of players in the OLB room led by Josh Sweat.

Sweat's clearly not healthy at this moment in time while the rest of Arizona's outside linebacker corps simply doesn't have a high ceiling. BJ Ojulari was unfortunately cut this summer after not being able to return to his rookie-year form due to injury while all of Baron Browning, Jordan Burch and Zaven Collins haven't been overly impressive, either.

Arizona's ability to get to the quarterback has been average to begin 2026, totaling eight sacks and a 21% pressure rate against opposing offenses. The Cardinals' defense relied on their pass rush improving internally, and they've been inconsistent at best to begin the year.

Their Right Tackle Swing via Elijah Wilkinson

Sep 27, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson (65) blocks against San Francisco 49ers defensive end Keion White (56) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wilkinson had a less than impressive season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2025 despite starting every game at right tackle, making his reunion in the desert a bit surprising. Arizona hadn't received strong tackle play from Jonah Williams previously, leaving ample room for improvement — though Wilkinson has been a liability this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wilkinson has graded out as the seventh-worst qualified tackle (63/69) to begin 2026. He's particularly struggled in run-blocking, as the Cardinals have the lowest EPA when running to his inside gap at -0.41.

You can't upgrade every position during the offseason, though Arizona was hoping for Wilkinson to be serviceable — he simply hasn't been thus far.

Retaining DC Nick Rallis

Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis speaks with the media during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, on July 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals interviewed multiple defensive coordinators for a role in LaFleur's staff this offseason. Each said no, and Arizona pivoted back to Nick Rallis for a fourth season in hopes of things being different without Jonathan Gannon in the picture.

That hasn't been the case, as the Cardinals' defense has again been abysmal to start 2026. After a stellar Week 1 outing, Arizona's allowed three consecutive 30-point games and seemingly can't stop the run or pass.

In fairness, the Cardinals' defense received only stopgaps for players departing in free agency rather than upgrades with hopes of health being on their side. However, Rallis' fingerprints are entirely on this unit, and they haven't performed to expectations.

There's a very real possibility seasoned defensive coach Teryl Austin takes over his duties in the next few weeks.

Rookie HC Mike LaFleur Doesn't Have Counter-Punch Just Yet

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is shown on the sideline during the first quarter against the New York Giants on Oct. 4, 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals took another big swing by hiring the first-time LaFleur as a head coach, though he arrived to the desert with a sparkly resume and promise to turn Arizona into a well-oiled machine.

In complete fairness, that transformation was never going to happen four games into his first season. However, LaFleur hasn't had a strong counter-punch to how defenses are attacking Arizona. The Cardinals' offense is being blitzed, heavily, with two-high shells — which has limited their ability to generate explosive plays and/or threaten to push the ball down the field.

The Cardinals' offense ranks dead-last in explosive plays, which if you talk to any coach across any level of football, they'll highlight as a winning stat next to turnover differential.

Fans should still be very optimistic about LaFleur and his tenure in Arizona, though he's yet to find a way to counter what defenses are doing to limit their attack.

Drafting Jeremiyah Love No. 3 Overall

Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs with the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With other pressing needs across the roster, the Cardinals shocked everybody by making a running back the third overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. When you put on the tape, Jeremiyah Love's presence as a top pick is warranted thanks to his ability to do just about everything at a high level.

However, the Cardinals haven't quite utilized Love how people outside of the building envisioned. He's rarely been featured in the passing attack while a mix of injuries and intent to spread touches across the RB room has prevented Love from handling a heavy workload early in his rookie season.

Drafting a weapon like Love as high as he went typically means you're committing to making him a prominent feature of the offense. Love has played well when given opportunities, though his touches have been sporadic through the first four weeks of the season — which is a bit surprising.