2025 NFL Free Agency: Grading Every Cardinals Move

The NFL's legal tampering period begins this week, meaning one thing: Free agency is finally here, and the Arizona Cardinals are looking to be major players.

Entering Monday, the Cardinals' $74.4 million in effective cap space ranked third in the NFL.

If general manager Monti Ossenfort holds true to expectations, that figure should change. Rapidly.

"It's just one of those things where you also have to be smart about it," Ossenfort said on spending money this time of year.

"You don't want to spend to spend either. You have to make the right decisions. If you historically look back and see teams that won the off-season or teams that won free agency... going back and looking at 2020, is that always the case, six, nine, or 12 months later? I don't know."

It's showtime - here's our grades for every Cardinals free agent move:

Evan Brown

Brown was one of three offensive players to play 1,000 snaps for the Cardinals last season, stabilizing the left guard spot in Arizona.

The offensive line took a big step in the right direction last season and Brown was a reason why.

He's not an All-Pro by any means, but he's certainly worth the near $6 million per season price tag, which is right where starting guard money is in the NFL.

Solid move for both sides.

Grade: B

Baron Browning

Browning arrived midway through the season after being acquired from the Broncos at the trade deadline, which made evaluations of his future a bit tough given circumstances.

Though Browning only tallied two sacks in his eight games out West, he showed enough to the Cardinals (and other teams) to warrant a pay increase.

He got just that with $7.5 million in annual money averaged. That's quite the bump, but there's confidence he hasn't hit his potential as a pass rusher.

Grade: C+

Aaron Brewer

There's not a lot of analysis needed here for Arizona's steady and consistent long snapper. The Cardinals have typically had one of the better special teams units in the league and continuity plays a big role there.

The same old song and dance can continue being sung in the desert, which is good for the Cardinals.

Grade: B

Joey Blount

Speaking of special teams, Blount has played a massive role in Arizona's special teams - as head coach Jonathan Gannon has labeled the safety as a "premier" player in that facet who also has done well in a relief role defensively.

Blount isn't a big name for the fan base, but he's a core guy in a number of facets. Good on the Cardinals to bring him back.

Grade: B

Kelvin Beachum

One of the most important parts of an OL unit is consistency, and Beachum. is exactly that. He started 12 games in 2024, and was a very reliable depth piece, who ended up taking over more of a starting role once Jonah Williams went down.

Beachum has had ups and downs, but his return brings a security blanket to an otherwise somewhat young group of Cardinals o-linemen.

While Williams' status is still a bit murky, Arizona knows it can get quality pass blocking reps out of Beachum, and he's an excellent teammate and a durable veteran. It's not the solution, but it's a solid move.

Grade: B-

Josh Sweat

The Cardinals needed to make a big swing, and they did. Is Sweat the perfect solution? No, but he's exactly what the Cardinals need to bring a major boost to their pass rush.

Sweat is familiar with Jonathan Gannon, is generally durable, and is reliable enough for at least a respectable numbers of sacks every season.

He's still just 27 years old, and racks up pressures with 54 over 408 pass rush snaps in 2024. He's a legitimate difference-maker, and while he's not Milton Williams, Sweat is absolutely a sight for sore eyes in the desert.

At around $19 million per year over four years for a deal worth $76.4 million ($41 million guaranteed), it's arguably an overpay, but with the market being what it is, it's also a bit lower than might have been expected.

Grade: A-

Akeem Davis-Gaither

Much like last year's signing of LB Mack Wilson Sr., Davis-Gaither doesn't do much in the realm of name recognition, but maybe that's alright.

He started just seven games for the Bengals in 2024, but played in all 17, and racked up 81 total tackles (56 solo). He graded out slightly below average overall per PFF (59.0), and played only 50 pass rush snaps.

He profiles as more of a coverage and run defense linebacker, which could be the versatile type Arizona needs to replace Kyzir White, but it's too early to speculate on results, and an $11 million dollar committment over two years isn't nothing, though it certainly isn't expensive.

It feels hasty to assume this move will pan out as well as Wilson did, so it's a bit underwhelming, and while grades aren't everything, it's not quite a move that appears to raise the talent level of the linebacker room by much.

Grade: C+

Zay Jones

The Cardinals have made a clear effort to re-sign some of their in-house guys, and that appears to be the case with Jones.

Jones, who signed with Arizona last offseason, failed to make a true impact for the Cardinals after playing behind names such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson.

While Jones brings a veteran presence to the locker room and strengthens continuity, this move doesn't move the needle one bit in terms of improving the depth at wideout.

The Cardinals are familiar with Jones and vice versa - that's about it when it comes to evaluating the move.

Grade: C-

Jacoby Brissett

Kyler Murray just completed his first fully healthy season as a starter in the NFL, and the Cardinals know more than anybody how valuable a backup quarterback is at this level.

Arizona hasn't been impressed with Clayton Tune, and thus the next person to fill the No. 2 spot behind Murray is Brissett, a tenured veteran that is safe with the football and also boasts mobility.

Brissett feels like a fairly safe option as a backup and has proven to keep offenses steady enough to be competitive - though he's very much not a passer who can will teams to wins.

That's fine, because that's not why he's coming to the desert.

The Cardinals upgrade their No. 2 quarterback spot.

Grade: B-

Mykal Walker

The Cardinals again aim for depth with Walker's arrival, as the former Washington Commanders inside linebacker has limited playing experience on the defensive side of the ball. Walker did play nearly 75% of special teams snaps last year, so it's pretty clear what his role will be in Arizona.

The frustration with the signing isn't geared towards the player himself, but more so Arizona's inability to continue closing gaps across the roster after landing a big name in Josh Sweat.

Walker's signing won't move the needle nor should it be expected to. In terms of depth, the player isn't bad. Arizona still wants to key in on special teams help and that's Walker's main objective in a Cardinals helmet.

Grade: C

L.J. Collier

Arizona continues their sprint to retain their own crop of free agents, and this time L.J. Collier is the one staying home on a one-year deal announced by the team.

Collier played in all 17 games last season for the Cardinals and turned into a solid piece for Arizona's defensive line. The former Seahawks defensive end played just one game before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023.

Collier is a good but not great piece to Arizona's trenches - but so long as the money isn't crazy (it likely won't be) this was a good move by the Cardinals to bank on Collier getting even better in 2025.

Grade: C+

Dalvin Tomlinson

After a quiet stretch of time for the Cardinals after signing Josh Sweat, Arizona bounced back with the signing of Dalvin Tomlinson, the top free agent defensive tackle remaining.

The money (two years for $29 million) isn't super team-friendly, but Arizona had to fork up some money in order ot bolster their trenches heading into the draft.

Tomlinson excels at rushing the passer and gives the Cardinals a big, steady presence inside.

He's not quite a game-wrecker, but he's truly a good player who can only make Arizona better along the line of scrimmage.

Grade: B