Cardinals Must Act Quick After Season-Ending Injury

The Arizona Cardinals can't sit on their hands when it comes to finding a replacement for BJ Ojulari.

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort during an NFL pre-draft press conference at the Cardinals Dignity Health Training Center in Tempe on April 18, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals were always rolling the dice on their top three pass rushers staying healthy through the course of the 2024 season.

They even - literally - knocked on wood at the podium when describing their team's luck with injuries during the early stages of training camp.

Reality soon came knocking back.

The Cardinals are set to lose edge rusher BJ Ojulari for the 2024 season after tearing his ACL in practice, according to NFL insider Cameron Wolfe. A massive blow to not only their room of edge players, but their entire defense.

Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort hasn't been tested much as his second regular season in charge strolls around the corner.

The work he's done in both drafts has been strong, though Ossenfort hasn't truly been asked to make an emergency signing - partly due to the team's rebuilding structure that began ahead of the 2023 season and partly due to no significant injuries occurring after his regime took over.

That time has now come.

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The Cardinals currently sit with just north of $35 million in cap space, per OTC, good enough for top five in the league.

With Ojulari now out of the picture, the Cardinals' top outside linebackers consist of Dennis Gardeck and Zaven Collins.

Arizona tallied just 33 team sacks in 2023 (third-worst in the NFL) and didn't add any significant faces in the room through the offseason, a surprising move to many.

Part of that justification was the expected leaps from Ojulari and Collins, both effectively entering their second season as an edge player in the league.

Ojulari's four personal sacks weren't impressive when just looking at the box score, but the LSU product has finished his rookie season strong and added strength through the offseason.

Prior to his injury, Ojulari told reporters he was in for a big sophomore season.

Many believed the Cardinals possibly could have added a veteran presence in the room to help bolster their presence on the edge.

Now, it's a need. If the Cardinals are looking to turn the corner like they believe they are, Ossenfort must act quickly.

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Earlier in training camp, Ossenfort offered this when asked about potentially adding veteran players:

"I'd say that just the whole concept of roster building is definitely ongoing the whole time. We came off two of the bigger ones in the calendar year in free agency and the draft, and that's really the two times where you add the most amount of players to your roster," said Ossenfort when speaking with reporters.

"As you guys saw last year, there's times that even throughout camp and then certainly once we get through preseason and cut-down days, there's other times that there's opportunities to add people to your roster.

"We're always looking to add competition. We're always looking to add talent. Our pro scouts are prepping for preseason right now. We're monitoring the league and we always do that. If the situation arises, we certainly won't hesitate to make an addition to the roster."

Currently, these are some of the top edge rushers still on the market according to Spotrac:

• Carl Lawson
• Yannick Ngakoue
• Charles Harris
• Tyus Bowser
• Marquis Haynes
• Shaq Lawson
• Henry Anderson
• David Mayo
• Myjai Sanders
• Anthony Barr
• Ifeadi Odenigbo

Players the Cardinals could possibly target in trades would be Matthew Judon, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat among others.

When specifically asked about not adding players to the edge group, Ossenfort said:

"I think with every position we're constantly trying to get better. And so that looks different at each position depending on what the constitution of that room looks like at the time. ... I think when it comes to that, just the opportunity that's presented itself, I think, led us to make other choices for both free agency and the draft."

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So, here we sit - a week removed from Arizona's first preseason game and a major injury already settling them back to reality.

The Cardinals were expecting themselves to make a jump from their previous 4-13 record, and much of the excitement comes on the offensive side of the ball.

Yet it'll be their defense that truly determines if they'll again float with mediocrity or if they'll make a push into territory nobody thought was possible. Approaching 2024, there were questions at cornerback and edge rusher, both thanks to inexperience.

The Cardinals themselves will rally. Guys along the defensive line now will have to step up to fill the void Ojulari's absence will leave, and rotational pieces will have to bolster their abilities to keep the train moving in the right direction.

Arizona's front office must do their part, too.

If the Cardinals are serious about making strides this season, the organization has ample cap space and draft capital to make a move in either free agency or the trade market.

Rolling the dice on their current group of guys already bit them before - Ossenfort can't make the same mistake twice.

The Cardinals must act quickly to get a veteran replacement, there's no other way around it.