Arizona Cardinals Projected Starting Lineup After Free Agency Week 1

The Arizona Cardinals have plugged a few holes in the first week of their free agency wave, and entering the second phase of the acquisition period, they're sitting in fairly healthy cap space.

While the Cardinals surely aren't finished adding to their roster, it feels like we've seen majority of the impactful moves made for this organization.

The 2026 draft — where Arizona owns all seven picks — will see a few starters added into the mix.

But for now, here's what the Cardinals' lineup projects as:

Offense

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinal — Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) rolls out against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

QB: Jacoby Brissett
RB: James Conner
WR: Marvin Harrison Jr.
WR: Michael Wilson
Slot WR: Kendrick Bourne
TE: Trey McBride
LT: Paris Johnson Jr.
LG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Hjalte Froholdt
RG: Isaiah Adams
RT: Elijah Wilkinson

We'll start with quarterback, where Brissett is clearly still the guy even with Gardner Minshew's addition. Unless the Cardinals are really looking to lose some games, Brissett will be under center.

Running back is where things start to get a bit iffy. This is shaping up to be a true 1A/1B split with a healthy Conner and Tyler Allgeier. The price tag points towards Allgeier as the main guy, though it's still Conner's backfield until further notice.

Harrison is entering a pivotal third season, and there's hope Mike LaFleur's offensive system will see him thrive after two inconsistent years. Wilson obviously established himself as a prominent weapon and is undeniably a top boundary guy while Bourne slides into the slot position after the Cardinals lost both Greg Dortch and Zay Jones in free agency.

Note: if LaFleur's system is anything like Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay, all three top wideouts will move around and won't be stagnant in position.

Trey McBride. That's the analysis at tight end.

The entire left side of the offensive line is set with Johnson/Seumalo/Froholdt, though right guard and right tackle feels like an undecided game of musical chairs. For now, we'll sit Adams back at guard while Wilkinson gets the nod thanks to recent starting experience at right tackle in 2025. Josh Fryar and Matt Pryor are also names to watch here.

Defense

Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) against the Jacksonville Jaguars at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

DL: Walter Nolen, Roy Lopez, L.J. Collier
OLB: Josh Sweat, Zaven Collins
ILB: Mack Wilson, Cody Simon
CB: Will Johnson, Denzel Burke
Slot CB: Garrett Williams
Safeties: Budda Baker, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson

Assuming Nick Rallis retains a 3-4 base look on defense, it feels like a majority of starters are locked in from last season. (Yes, there's 12 players listed above. We'll explain in a minute).

It'll be interesting to see what the Cardinals think of Darius Robinson and if he'll get early looks ahead of Collier. Collins feels pretty safe opposite of Sweat.

With Akeem Davis-Gaither now out of the picture, it's Simon's job to lose opposite of Wilson in the front seven.

Cornerback can get a bit tricky, as base looks will see Johnson/Williams as the two boundary guys. Williams is also their top slot corner, so who gets the third nod on the boundary when he slides in during nickel packages? It could be any mix of Burke/Starling Thomas/Sean Murphy-Bunting/Max Melton, but we went with Burke thanks to play and overall health at this moment in time.

There's some chatter that Andrew Wingard could push to start next to Baker. This firmly feels like Taylor-Demerson's spot to lose on the back-end, however.