Are Arizona Cardinals Getting Too Much Credit for Offseason?

Evaluating just how impressive the Arizona Cardinals' offseason has been.

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort speaks about Walter Nolen with head coach Jonathan Gannon during a news conference inside the Arizona Cardinals training facility on April 24, 2025, in Tempe. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals have done anything but sit on their hands this offseason.

GM Monti Ossenfort has poured resources into a massive area of need along the defensive front, getting talent from both free agency and the NFL Draft.

But as close followers of this team, it's also easy to get into a mindset that every move the team makes is more valuable than it might be in reality.

Have Arizona Cardinals Gotten Too Much Credit for Offseason?

The Cardinals couldn't afford to wait around for development. They needed instant talent, and they needed it along the front seven in the worst way. Ossenfort got just that, signing Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell to lucrative free-agent deals.

This came just a year after Ossenfort tried to patch the DL with veteran signings like Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones, neither of whom played many snaps, and both were ineffective when healthy.

The question then remained was twofold: would there be enough depth? Would there be a future beyond some of these veterans who may or may not have much career longevity left?

So Ossenfort doubled down. He opted for high-ceiling defensive players in the draft. Rather than waiting around for players like Darius Robinson or BJ Ojulari to prove him right, he created a logjam of talented players and added young depth that could see itself become starting-caliber talent.

The short answer is, from a purely defensive standpoint, Ossenfort did everything he could have been expected to and more. While not every signing or prospect is guaranteed to hit, the credit he's been given for the effort put forward is certainly not unwarranted.

Where Arizona Cardinals' Offseason Fell Short

But although the defensive side of the football is nearly unrecognizable, there was almost nothing done to the offensive side — a unit that struggled greatly with consistency and high-volume production outside of some performances by Trey McBride and James Conner.

Ossenfort opted not to address this, indirectly expressing confidence that the offensive personnel present would be more than enough to get the job done in the 2025 season.

That may or may not be true. Granted, Arizona needs better execution and consistency by some of its offensive players — the likes of Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. — but the offensive support system is not nearly as strong, and some losses to the OL may prove to be a sticking point.

Ultimately, it's hard to evaluate the Cardinals' offseason before the product makes its way onto the field. The Cardinals do deserve credit for eagerly addressing their biggest need in a holistic way, but could see remnants of 2025's struggles offensively without much invested in that side of the ball.