What's Cardinals' Biggest Strength, Weakness?

What are the best - and worst - parts of the Arizona Cardinals?

Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Christian Jones (75) during organized team activities at the Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center on May 28, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- As we gear up for the 2024 regular season, the Arizona Cardinals now look to shape their roster after another offseason brought more change under the likes of Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort.

After finishing 4-13 last season, the Cardinals did well in addressing both sides of the ball.

What are the Cardinals' biggest strength and weakness moving into 2024?

Pro Football Focus made their picks for both:

Cardinals' Biggest Strength: Rushing Attack

PFF: "Arizona surprisingly led the NFL in rushing grade last year. James Conner, owner of an 88.4 rushing grade, was the primary reason. He finished the regular season with 817 yards after contact, the third most in the NFL — behind Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. Conner, along with Kyler Murray and Trey Benson, should continue to make Arizona’s run game a true threat."

Our take: This is 100% the case. The Cardinals thrived off running the football and only improved their offensive line and backfield over the offseason. Even the addition of TE Tip Reiman through the draft should help the rushing attack remain on par. Arizona should continue to lean on their ability to run the ball heavily moving into next season.

Cardinals' Biggest Weakness: Defense

PFF: "The Cardinals fielded the lowest-graded defense in the NFL in Jonathan Gannon’s first season as head coach. They equally struggled in the run and pass games and had only three defensive players finish with 68.0-plus overall grades. They selected six defensive players in this year’s draft in the hope of infusing talent into a porous unit."

Our take: Upgrades were certainly made to all areas, though if we're looking to be more precise, the group of edge rushers remains the same as last season, where the Cardinals tallied just 33 sacks in 2023. Arizona is clearly banking on guys such as Zaven Collins and B.J. Ojulari taking the next step - is that the right move? We'll find out.