Arizona Cardinals post-draft roster outlook: Offense

With GM Monti Ossenfort likely done making major roster moves, it’s time to take stock of the overall roster. We’ll take a look at each position group on the offense today, with defense coming next week.

The free agent frenzy is over, the draft is in the rearview, and the Arizona Cardinals roster you see now is very similar to the one they will enter the regular season with in just a few short months.

It’s been a good offseason for the Redbirds. GM Monti Ossenfort addressed several roster holes in free agency without breaking the bank and, by all accounts, aced his second draft in a row. Our roster is looking much better than it did when last season ended, both for 2024 and beyond. Isn’t it a great feeling to have a GM who seems to know how to actually build a team?

With most major roster moves behind us, it’s a good time to take stock of the overall roster. I want to look at each position group through a few different lenses: starters, depth, and future outlook. I’ll use the following scale for rating purposes:

• All Set: We have all the players we need, whether for 2024 or future seasons. Monti is done adding here for the foreseeable future. (There will be very few of these.)
• In Good Shape: We’re looking good but are still a player or two away from All Set. Monti will be looking for small upgrades here and there.
• Work In Progress: Things are very unsettled—we’re multiple players away from In Good Shape and All Set is just a dream. Monti will be looking for major upgrades.

This is just a quick, back-of-the-envelope exercise, but it’ll help paint a picture of how the roster is looking overall. We’ll tackle the offense today and defense and special teams next week. Let’s dive in.

Quarterbacks

Starter: Kyler Murray

All Set: By the time the season starts, Kyler will be almost two years removed from his ACL injury and will have had his first full offseason in OC Drew Petzing’s system. He looked rusty but solid in his 8 starts last season, and his supporting cast is massively improved. Entering his age-27 season, he’ll try to return to Pro Bowl form, if not make a leap into the truly elite tier of NFL QBs. There may be debate about his ranking among all NFL QBs, but he’s a proven commodity.

Depth: Desmond Ridder, Clayton Tune

All Set: Ridder was a bit miscast as a starter in Atlanta but he should fill the backup QB role well here in the desert, giving us our best backup since we had a healthy Colt McCoy. Tune is actually older than Ridder and has seen the team trade for two backup QBs since drafting him, which isn’t exactly a vote of confidence. But you could do worse than him for a #3, I suppose. But these guys should capably hold down the backup...