What are Cardinals' Three Biggest Needs in 2025 Offseason?

Despite notable improvement, both in record and overall game-to-game performance, the Arizona Cardinals have a plethora of needs to address in the 2024 offseason.

Some are more glaring than others, but after two years of rebuilding, it's time to put the finishing touches on the roster.

While general manager Monti Ossenfort has made positive additions, and the level of young talent has consistently risen under head coach Jonathan Gannon, it would be a disservice to Arizona and its fans to not address these three crucial needs:

1: D-line

This is a two-for-one need. The Cardinals need multiple additions on the defensive line, but absolutely need at least one noteworthy upgrade at both DT and EDGE.

At DT, they've had some success with the likes of Dante Stills, but both of Ossenfort's 2024 additions in Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones were mostly ineffective, and both ended up on injured reserve relatively early on.

Health aside, the Cardinals need more beef and run-stuffing out of their defensive big men. While much improved in run defense, Arizona still surrendered 126.4 rushing yards per game, and their ability to create interior pressure was severely lacking.

On the edge, Zaven Collins and a potentially re-signed Baron Browning are a solid pair, but only if used in a complementary role. Especially considering the Cardinals ranked 28th in pass rush win rate, and Collins led the team in sacks with just five, a major addition has to be made on the edge.

It's a robust draft class with regard to front seven players, but a big name free agent or trade should also be on the table, without conflicting with the draft and develop philosophy.

2: Interior OL

The Cardinals' offensive line was one of their biggest strengths in 2024, and they consistently did more with less.

That said, there's no room to let their strongest offensive unit regress. While Paris Johnson Jr. is emerging as a franchise tackle, and veteran Kelvin Beachum filled the Jonah Williams gap admirably, Arizona has some questions at the guard spot.

Evan Brown, who is currently a free agent, was an excellent LG in 2024, but it's unknown whether the Cardinals will re-sign him. They should.

But standout Will Hernandez suffered a torn ACL in October, and both his health and contract status remain up in the air. He is also a free agent, but it seems less likely he'll be a re-sign candidate, considering his injury and age.

So the Cardinals will likely be left with young developmental OL Isaiah Adams, and a toss-up of Trystan Colon and Jon Gaines II to take the interior roles, if neither Hernandez nor Brown are retained.

A veteran stalwart at either guard spot would go a long way toward ensuring Arizona's OL, run production and pass blocking remain in the upper half of the NFL, as well as helping the younger guys develop.

3: Quarterback (Backup)

Kyler Murray is Arizona's franchise quarterback. There is zero doubt or condition to this fact. But with that said, Murray playing all 17 games in 2024 was a surprise, and his play was objectively inconsistent.

This doesn't mean Arizona needs to pay up for new starter, or draft a QB in the first round.

But a backup with a skillset that complements Murray's would go a long way in ensuring the Cardinals' offense doesn't fall off a cliff in the event of an injury to Murray, and adding a QB could bring a bit of an edge, and add motivation for Murray to play at his highest possible level in 2024.

It might not seem like the most severe need on the team, but most would agree there is a need for some improvement from Murray, and it's difficult for even the sturdiest NFL players to play bacl-to-back seasons without any health-related issues.