Cardinals Surprisingly Retain Offensive Coach

The Arizona Cardinals welcome back this underperforming position coach along the offensive line.

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Justin Frye against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly made a slew of coaching staff moves late Thursday night, which included the decision to retain offensive line coach Justin Frye.

According to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz:

"The #Cardinals are expected to retain Justin Frye as offensive line coach under new coach Mike LaFleur, sources tell @CBSSports. Was hired by Jonathan Gannon last year after three seasons as the offensive line coach at Ohio State. Now expected to remain in Arizona under LaFleur."

The #Cardinals are expected to retain Justin Frye as offensive line coach under new coach Mike LaFleur, sources tell @CBSSports.

Was hired by Jonathan Gannon last year after three seasons as the offensive line coach at Ohio State. Now expected to remain in Arizona under LaFleur. pic.twitter.com/XSUmmBDuAH

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2026

Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis was also retained in a surprising move — you can read more about that here.

Frye had just spent one season in Arizona leading a Cardinals offensive line group that was both banged-up and simply underperformed to expectation in 2025. While left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and center Hjalte Froholdt held up their end of the bargain, the other three spots at left guard, right guard and right tackle left much to be desired.

Many believe the line and overall run game took a massive step back after the departure of previous offensive line coach Klayton Adams, who took over the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator position last season.

The Cardinals move into the future likely looking to upgrade multiple spots when it comes to the offensive line. Right tackle Jonah Williams is set to hit free agency and shouldn't be brought back while veteran swing tackle Kelvin Beachum could retire.

At guard, Evan Brown didn't live up to expectations on the left side while Isaiah Adams was up-and-down for 2025. There's not concrete confidence in either spot ahead of this offseason.

Arizona has roughly $40 million in cap space approaching free agency with a fully loaded slate of draft picks, which includes the third overall pick this spring. The Cardinals could very well upgrade their line early in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Was Frye dealt a bad hand in terms of injuries? You could certainly make that argument. However, that was across the board in the desert, and Arizona's offensive line simply wasn't good enough in 2025.

It's not completely out of the norm for a few members of previous coaching staffs to stick around if they're seen as a rising star or imperative for continuity. Perhaps the Cardinals didn't want to hire a third offensive line coach in as many seasons.

However, the decision to retain Frye — given his lack of success at the pro level in Year 1 — is surprising.