Revenge of the Birds
It is a day in July before the start of the 2026 training camp, so we are getting rankings, and for the Cardinals most rankings have not been overly kind.
While they have the sixth best set of offensive weapons in the NFL according to ESPN, they have more questions than answers everywhere else.
ESPN dropped their best roster rankings and the Cardinals were not last… which is a nice change of pace, but they were the third worst (at least tied for that) and it is once again a question of every position group outside of a couple.
From ESPN:
T-29. Arizona Cardinals
Biggest strength: Tight end. This starts and ends with Trey McBride, who has emerged as one of the NFL’s top playmakers at the position…
Biggest weakness: Quarterback. Kyler Murray is gone, leaving Jacoby Brissett as the probable Week 1 starter. The veteran racked up the counting stats in 12 starts last season (3,366 passing yards, 23 TDs), but Arizona throwing a league-high rate (partially due to always being behind) was a primary factor. Brissett finished 24th among 28 qualified quarterbacks in QBR (41.2).
X factor for 2026: WR Michael Wilson. In Weeks 1-10, Wilson managed a meager 0.8 yards per route run, making him one of the least efficient wide receivers in the league. But from Week 11 on — with Marvin Harrison Jr. out for much of that time — Wilson’s production ballooned to 2.6 yards per route run, 12th-best among wide receivers in those weeks. This Cardinals’ season is all about finding out who can be their pillars going forward, and that includes Wilson’s long-term role with the franchise.
Nonstarter to know: Edge rusher BJ Ojulari. Trade rumors are circulating around Josh Sweat, and Baron Browning and Zaven Collins combined for only 3.5 sacks last season…
The Cardinals have Trey McBride, people are hopeful about the wide receivers, and of course the rookie running back is intriguing. After that, there is nothing that is known or exciting to analysts, just a lot of questions.
The team tied with the Cardinals is the Atlanta Falcons, the worst two rosters in the league are the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. Is McBride the only player separating the Cardinals from those bottom two?
