2026 NFL offseason preview: Arizona Cardinals have to figure out what's next with Kyler Murray

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The NFL offseason has begun, and Yahoo Sports is previewing the coming months for all 32 teams, from free agency through the draft and more.

Arizona Cardinals

2025 season record: 3-14, (u 8.5 wins), fourth in NFC West, missed playoffs, 27th in DVOA

Overview

The Cardinals were a popular sleeper pick to surprise the league in 2025. Arizona had a fun defensive scheme that used chaos to make up for a lack of talent, and the team had bulked up its defensive roster heading into the season. Kyler Murray had a peak that had been worthy of MVP consideration in the past, and there was hope the connection with Marvin Harrison Jr. would grow in the second year.

There were glimpses of that team throughout the season and in most games. But the Cardinals had a league-worst -55 point differential in the fourth quarter — they couldn’t hold onto leads. We can’t forget the blown game against the Titans in Week 5. Arizona started 2-0 and won one game over the rest of the season.

Offensively, things never clicked. Murray was in and out of the lineup with injuries, which ultimately ended his season early. There were bright spots on defense like rookie cornerback Denzel Burke and free-agent signing Josh Sweat, but injuries hamstrung this team all over.

Jonathan Gannon was let go as head coach after three seasons, none of them over .500, and a 15-36 record.

Cap/cuts outlook

Arizona has about $9 million in effective salary cap space, 18th in the league. The biggest impact on the Cardinals’ 2026 cap will be what happens with Kyler Murray, who has a tradable contract made up mostly of salary, and the Cardinals would free up $35 million in cap space should they find a trade partner before June 1. Murray finished the season with the same EPA per play as Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson (0.05). His season feels worse because there was no variance; Murray didn’t have any huge games but he also didn’t have any where the bottom fell out, which led to a low range of outcomes. There is likely to be a team that feels it can bring back the high range of performance from Murray.

While Monti Ossenfort stays on as general manager, a Budda Baker trade isn’t likely. But if the Cardinals view themselves as a complete rebuild candidate, a Baker trade would free up $13 million.

Dalvin Tomlinson and James Conner are the two biggest cut candidates and would free up nearly $17.5 million in space.

Key pending free agents

S Jalen Thompson
IDL Calais Campbell
OL Jonah Williams
OL Will Hernandez

Campbell could retire, but he could also throw guards to the ground until he’s 80. He had 6.5 sacks in 2025. Only Bruce Smith in 2002 had more sacks (9) at age-39 or older since 2000. Thompson has been a versatile piece in the Cardinals’ defense that often deployed three safeties. He’d be a fit in a number of the more modern defenses in the Jesse Minter mold.

Williams and Hernandez have both been promising linemen who haven’t been able to stay on the field consistently. They both struggled when on the field in 2025, with blown block rates over 4%, per Sports Info Solutions.

Positional needs

Quarterback
Offensive line
Linebacker

If the Cardinals move on from Murray, quarterback is the top immediate need. Jacoby Brissett could hang on for only so long before his limitations and those of the rest of the Arizona offense showed. From Weeks 6-13, Brissett had a 48.9% success rate, which would have ranked in the top 10 among quarterbacks. But in his final four games, his 37.6% success rate would have been last over a full season.

Outside of Paris Johnson and Hjalte Froholdt, the Cardinals could improve anywhere along the offensive line. There was a clear drop-off in production without Klayton Adams, who left for the Cowboys last offseason, structuring the run game. The Cardinals went from fifth in rushing success rate on running back attempts in 2024 to 18th in 2025.

If there’s one position the Cardinals haven’t figured out on defense, it’s off-ball linebacker. Arizona has a history of playing around with the position and trying out different players there, but it’s been a hole in the defense for years. The Cardinals’ best linebacker by yards allowed per coverage snap ranked 39th with 96 qualified players.

2026 NFL Draft picks

1st round, pick No. 3
2nd round
3rd round
4th round
5th round
6th round
7th round

Good draft fit

Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State

There are multiple good offensive line options the Cardinals could select, but the third overall pick feels more appropriate for a player of Reese’s talent. He’s a good run defender and edge rusher. He can be the off-ball linebacker the Cardinals desperately need. And he’s a great athlete with strength, speed and energy.

What could move the fantasy needle in 2026?

Offensive ecosystem makeover

The Cardinals relieved the coaching staff of their duties on Black Monday. Fantasy players enjoyed what was ultimately a scam for passing production with Jacoby Brissett under center. Brissett dropped back to pass 548 times (45.7 per game) since Week 6, Caleb Williams was second in that same span with 484 (37.2 per game). That’s the difference of 8.5 dropbacks per game. The Cardinals won a single game in that span. There was production but not a ton of good outcomes for Arizona. Moving on from Kyler Murray is a given at this stage, but the team also needs a fresh start from an offensive ecosystem standpoint. — Matt Harmon

Betting nugget

After starting 2-0, it was all downhill for Arizona. The Cardinals finished the season on a nine-game losing streak, failing to cover in eight of those games. — Ben Fawkes

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