Rivals Impressed by Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort

Monti Ossenfort has done a strong job, according to the opinion of rival executives.

Arizona Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort speaks to the media during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 28, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals have undergone quite the roster overhaul within the last two offseasons under the guidance of general manager Monti Ossenfort.

The body of work hasn't yielded much success on the field, as the Cardinals scratched and clawed their way to a 4-13 record in 2023.

True rebuilds aren't pretty - nor should they be. Ossenfort and his staff did a strong job tearing down the Cardinals' roster to start anew last offseason and continued that success within the last few months.

While Arizona isn't quite expected to be playoff contenders, the Cardinals are surely on the right track thanks to their new regime.

That's a common opinion of fans, media members and even rival executives.

From The Athletic's Jeff Howe:

"Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s scheme has drawn rave reviews around the league, and there’s widespread belief he’ll draw head coaching interviews after the season. Rival executives are also impressed by general manager Monti Ossenfort’s roster reconstruction in a very short amount of time. The Cardinals’ ceiling may be limited by a brutally difficult division, but they’re absolutely on the rise."

- Jeff Howe, The Athletic

Ossenfort - who spent years with the New England Patriots and helped build a No. 1 seeded Tennessee Titans squad - has shown he's capable of strong team-building in the past, and the Cardinals appear to be on the right path as 2024 kicks off this week.

Arizona has rid themselves of any players who weren't team-first while also clearing out any bad contracts. As such, the Cardinals have found themselves with plenty of draft picks and salary cap space for the future.

Culture is certainly a buzzword around the team's facility in Tempe, though it's fair to say the team is in a much better place compared to just two seasons ago.

“We cleansed the roster,” Cardinals running back James Conner said. “Guys who weren’t serious about football, guys who were not in it for the right reasons, guys who don’t put the team first — we slowly weeded that stuff out. That’s what it takes. First we cleanse and then now we’re ready to attack.”

Conner was recently voted as one of four captains for Arizona in 2024 - you can read more about that here.