Mailbag: Will Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort Make Desperation Move?

The Arizona Cardinals move into the next phase of the offseason after free agency frenzy has come and gone.

It wasn't quite exciting, though the Cardinals added some much needed depth across the board and managed to improve the run game, among other things.

Let's get into your questions, thanks to everybody who asked.

What's the player or position that would instantly get an F grade if the cardinals drafted him? - Mando

That's tough, Mando. The Cardinals have plenty of needs across the board to address in the first round. You could truly make an argument for just about anything.

However, I would just be absolutely floored if the Cardinals went running back early in the draft. I was anti-Jeremiyah Love even before the Tyler Allgeier signing, and now Arizona's backfield is fairly packed after free agency frenzy.

That's not a knock on Love as a prospect. I hope he's great — but the Cardinals cannot ignore other facets of the offense and opt for what would undoubtedly be the biggest luxury pick in recent memory.

If you had one wish, and could only give the Cardinals a B-level RT or a B-level edge. Who would you choose and why? - Bryan

This is a really great question, Bryan. I still need to get that MHJ jersey to you, too. For what it's worth, Ray J started playing in my head when I read one wish.

It feels like there's no wrong answers to this, but give me the edge rusher for Arizona's current situation. The Cardinals badly need somebody opposite of Josh Sweat to reach the passer. Arizona brought fresh faces in for the offensive line and potentially right tackle, but the same can't be said for edge rusher.

Getting after the quarterback simply needs to be more of a priority for the Cardinals moving forward, as Arizona has yet to truly discover a dominant and consistent pass rush. While there's hope Mike LaFleur can scheme some of the offensive line deficiencies out of the picture, the jury is still out on defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.

My old football coach once told me, "Jimmies and Joes, not X's and O's." Get Rallis a hooper.

Who’s our strength and conditioning coach? Is it new? Is it Same as last year? - Angry Cards Fan

That's a great question! On the team's official site it lists Drew Krueger as the team's head athletic trainer. Krueger was hired by former head coach Jonathan Gannon in 2023 and there has been no official announcements when it comes to any changes.

That doesn't quite mean there's been no changes made, but if there has been anything, it's yet to officially be announced by the Cardinals.

How often do you think a front office makes a move because it’s more in the best interest of their job vs the franchise? - Conner

Conner, this is an excellent question.

This happens more than people think in terms of general managers trying to save their jobs. If they believe a move can help keep paychecks coming in while sacrificing long-term stability, some GM's will happily do it.

Let's just use this as an example: If Monti Ossenfort truly feels pressure to turn things around in 2026, do you think he's concerned about trading away future draft picks he might not ultimately make for a player to help win now?

The NFL stands for "Not For Long" if you aren't able to do your job in the here and now.

Now, there has to be some sort of continuity in terms of front office and ownership. Typically ownership would have to also agree on big trades, but we've seen in the past some very different splits within a building in that regard.

So to answer your question, I don't think it's rampant or prominent, but it does feel like every offseason we see a GM or two pull the trigger on a move that suggests the seat is warm.

We'll find out very quickly if Ossenfort feels the same if they trade up into the first round for Ty Simpson.

How would you assess the overall team depth? I realize the draft will still affect it. We know a lot of the free agents are not starters - David

I do think the depth is a touch better than what it was last year. The hope is for most of the depth to not be tested, but when injuries pile up like it did last year, there's no other option.

The good news? Plenty of young players got run, which should only help their personal development.

Arizona added some solid depth along the offensive line and running back, though positions such as WR (slot), ILB and S were simply signings to replenish missing starters from last season.

The overall depth of the team, in my opinion, isn't in a bad place. It's not tremendous, but when you look across the NFL, very little teams are. Everybody staying healthy will be a big difference for the Cardinals this season.

Why Did Mike LaFleur Keep Nick Rallis? - Scott

I sort of paraphrased Scott's colorful question, but this was the gist of it.

Scott, this was a question many wondered — especially after the Cardinals interviewed numerous defensive coordinator candidates before settling on Rallis.

It was a weird time for everyone involved.

Some suggest money played a factor in Michael Bidwill's decision with Rallis already under contract. Others will point to a very depleted pool of candidates for the position.

Regardless, keeping Rallis — in my opinion — wasn't a problem, but more so the road traveled to ultimately settle on him suggests they weren't 100% confident in him.