Revenge of the Birds
The Arizona Cardinals had plenty of action on the team’s “transactions” page. From the first day of the free agency period to now, the roster has had a ton of turnover.
New head coach Mike LaFleur had a honey-do list of what he needed GM Monti Ossenfort to accomplish. And Ossenfort did a great job bringing in capable bodies and getting rid of the athletes who weren’t getting the job done.
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Admit it: this year’s roster has improved over last year’s. Admittedly, after losing 14 games, it doesn’t take much to make changes and proclaim it’s “a new conqueror.”
If you review all the deletions and additions, the Cardinals fanbase should have some bigger expectations going forward.
Quite a few players found their groove once they hit 30-years old. Some even played into their 40s. K Adam Vinatieri was 46 when he called it quits. QB Tom Brady was one year younger. QB/K George Blanda made it to 48 years old and was kicking game-winning field goals. Warren Moon, Jerry Rice, and Vinny Testaverde found success past the 4-0 mark.
A male is at his athletic peak at age 26. And teams want to remain in that range.
The Cardinals have three players who are just 21 years old. 17 roster members are 22 or 23. A dozen are 30+, with five of that number just now 30. The new long snapper, Casey Kreiter, is the senior member of the roster, being 35 years old.
This is a very young ballclub. Some may point to the fact that it makes this squad inexperienced and prone to mistakes. Which is true. Sometimes. The New England Patriots went from 4-13-0 to 13-4-0 in one year, and they are the NFL’s youngest team. So, there goes that statement stating youth cannot win games.
This year, the pinnacle is being shined on this new offense that LaFleur has brought over from the Los Angeles Rams. LaFleur is a disciple of the San Francisco 49ers as well. Expect the success that these two clubs have had to become the norm in the desert.
This new offense will feature RB Jeremiyah Love (age 21), TE Tip Reiman (24), WR Devin Duvernay (28), OG Chase Bisontis (22), C Hjalte Froholdt (29), WR Reggie Virgil (22), RB Tyler Allgeier (26), Marv Harrison (23), TE Elijah Higgins (25), OT Paris Johnson (25), TE Trey McBride (26), WR Michael Wilson (26), and rookie QB Carson Beck (23).
The defense has its own story with CB Will Johnson (age 23), LB Jordan Burch (24), DT Walter Nolen (22), CB Denzel Burke (23), LB Cody Simon (24), CB Max Melton (24), LB Baron Browning (27), CB Garrett Williams (25), LB Zaven Collins (27), EDGE Josh Sweat (29), and S Budda Baker (30).
This is a promising young core for not only the upcoming 2026 season, but the foundation for years to come....
