Cardinals' Roster Ranks Among Worst in NFL

The Arizona Cardinals' roster is far from the top, according to ESPN.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) talks to running back James Conner (6) during minicamp at Dignity Health Training Center on June 11, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals hope to surprise nearly everybody outside of their facility this coming season after winning just four games in 2023.

No team can quite flip their roster from bottom to top in one offseason, though the rebuilding efforts of second-year general manager Monti Ossenfort have been notable.

The Cardinals didn't establish themselves as Super Bowl favorites, though improvements have been found on both sides of the ball thanks to careful spending in free agency and a historically big draft class.

Arizona believes with a healthy Kyler Murray at the helm, the Cardinals can compete with improvements made on their roster.

ESPN has other ideas.

The Cardinals' roster came in at No. 28 in their NFL roster rankings and listed their biggest roster strengths and weaknesses - let's dive into it.

Cardinals Roster Ranked Among Worst in NFL

Biggest Roster Strength

ESPN's Mike Clay: "Safety. In six seasons since becoming a full-time starter, Budda Baker ranks 10th in the NFL, and first among non-linebackers, with 661 tackles. Running mate Jalen Thompson actually has more tackles than Baker over the past three seasons (307 to 296) and sits third among all safeties during the span. Both missed a few games last season, and Andre Chachere proved a solid replacement."

Our take: The safety tandem certainly has to be up there, as both spots have a strong starting presence for both performance and leadership on/off the field. There's questions essentially up and down the roster, but certainly not here.

Biggest Roster Weakness

ESPN's Mike Clay: "Interior defensive line. Arizona still has a lot of problem areas (O-line and cornerback among them), but the interior defensive line has been a major issue since the departure of Zach Allen last offseason. Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols are the newcomers and will join the likes of L.J. Collier, Roy Lopez and Dante Stills in the rotation. Stills (2023 sixth-rounder) is the only investment the team has made in the position during the past two drafts."

Our take: This is essentially a toss-up between the interior defensive line and secondary. Darius Robinson is expected to be utilized across the board and with veterans such as Jones/Nichols brought in, our attention turns to a secondary with Sean Murphy-Bunting as the lone veteran in a cornerback room full of potential and inexperience all in one swoop.

Rosters that finished below Arizona include: Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.

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