One Cardinals Player Who Dodged a Major Offseason Bullet

The Arizona Cardinals' player acquisition period has come and gone, and there weren't many position groups that went largely untouched over the course of both free agency and the draft, though the Cardinals' outside linebacker's room stands above most — if not all — in that category.

The Cardinals will enter the 2026 season much like they did in 2025 at edge rusher - Josh Sweat leads the way while all others across him will try to make a dent in a pass rush that desperately needs it.

Perhaps one of the biggest winners of the offseason is Zaven Collins.

The thought of adding some sort of help to the edge room was prevelent in Arizona this offseason, for good reason. From team sacks to QB hurry percentage and pressure metrics abroad, the Cardinals — as a unit — simply didn't get it done.

Yet Arizona failed to make any waves in their pool of talent at the position, and perhaps Collins benefits best out of the group. Baron Browning is a known rotational player while Jordan Burch is entering his second season in the league. BJ Ojulari is still trying to find his footing while recovering from major knee surgery, too.

“I think we have a lot of guys there that played a lot of ball, between. (LB Josh Sweat) Sweaty, (LB) Baron (Browning), (LB) Zaven (Collins) and (LB) BJ (Ojulari). BJ had a tough year last year coming off the knee and never really looked quite all the way back. (LB) Jordan Burch (is) going into his second year, so I think we have a group," said Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort after the draft on his edge room.

"Obviously (we are) always going to look to add and increase and raise the talent level, but it just didn't work out that way to add to that group over the last three days.”

Collins, a former first-round pick that transitioned from inside linebacker to the edge years ago, is entering the final year of his contract. Rather than picking up the fifth-year option, Arizona opted to work out a two-year extension that essentially paid him the fifth-year price over two years instead of one.

It was a smart move at the time for both team and player, and now with no extra competition in the room, Collins will have one final chance to show his prowess as a pass rusher in Arizona.

Collins is a fine run defender, at worst. His metrics in that department actually grade out incredibly well — it's his inability to consistently reach the passer that holds him back. In a league that values sacks and pressures at his position specifically, it's not everything — but it's a lot.

Yet Collins' path still being clear as mini-camp approaches isn't just about him staying in Arizona and potentially getting an extension, especially with defensive coordinator Nick Rallis back for a fourth season.

Increasing sack production for a potential pay day elsewhere in 2027 free agency also looms large and would be a massively similar story to Haason Reddick, who had 12.5 sacks his final year in Arizona after failing as a first-round pick and eventually cashed out elsewhere.

Collins very much can still make that happen as his sixth year in the league approaches, and with no added talent to the room, he dodged a massive bullet this offseason as a result.

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