Cardinals Projected to Have Worst Defense in NFL

The Arizona Cardinals aren't expected to be much defensively, according to ESPN.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals injected some youthful talent across the board on both sides of the ball as their rebuild continues under the watchful eyes of head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort.

Defensively, the Cardinals hope to rebound off a fairly tough season in 2023. Arizona ranked near the bottom of the league in most major statistical categories - and their moves through the offseason showed the front office prioritized plugging a variety of those holes.

The Cardinals essentially brought in an entirely new defensive line (Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and rookie Darius Robinson) while also adding starting inside linebacker Mack Wilson next to Kyzir White.

On top of drafting several cornerbacks, the Cardinals made a clear effort to improve the defense (despite not touching the edge room, though we spoke on that topic here).

Still, national outlets expect Arizona to be at the bottom of the barrel when all is said and done.

ESPN's Mike Clay projects the Cardinals to allow the most points on the defensive side of the ball in 2024:

"The Cardinals have allowed the most points per game over the past two seasons (26.6) and did little during the offseason to suggest things will go much better in the short term," wrote Clay.

"Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson form a quality safety duo, but there are minimal impact players in the front seven and at cornerback. Arizona was smart to address defense during April's draft (DT Darius Robinson, CB Max Melton and CB Elijah Jones were selected in the first three rounds), but they'll all require some development."

Clay projects Arizona to again allow 26 points per game, ranking just ahead of the Denver Broncos and New York Giants for worst marks in the league.

Regardless of outside expectations, Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis is excited for how his unit will look.

"We've improved in a lot of different ways. I love what Monti [Ossenfort] was able to do over the course of the offseason and improve really the depth and the competitiveness of each position," Rallis said.

"I would say, individually, the players, there was a lot of improvement I saw from guys that were here last year going into this spring. From the start of spring to the end of spring, guys committed to it and put a lot of work in and got better from a schematic standpoint, technique standpoint, physical, psychological, health, all of it."

We'll see if the Cardinals themselves are ready for quite the opening test against the Buffalo Bills to begin the regular season.