NFL Offseason Previews: Arizona Cardinals

The NFL offseason is upon us, and teams will begin working to craft their 2023 rosters in the coming months. In this series of offseason previews, we will look at what each team has to work with and their biggest needs. Today we continue with the Arizona Cardinals offseason preview.

As a reminder, here are dates to keep in mind for the 2023 NFL offseason:

  • March 7: deadline for teams to use the franchise tag
  • March 13: legal tampering period opens
  • March 15: NFL free agency begins and the new league year starts
  • April 21: deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
  • April 27-29: NFL draft
  • May 1: deadline for teams to exercise 5th-year options on 2020 first-round draft picks
  • July 15: deadline for franchise tag players to sign an extension
  • You can find previous team’s offseason previews here: Bears | Bengals | Browns | Lions | Packers | Steelers | Vikings | Ravens | 49ers | Broncos | Rams | Chargers | Seahawks | Raiders |

    2022 Summary

    After a 4-13 season, the Cardinals are wiping the slate clean. Gone is Kliff Kingsbury; in is new head coach Jonathan Gannon. Arizona also has a new GM in Monti Ossenfort.

    Kyler Murray tore his ACL late in the season, but the Cardinals’ problems spanned well beyond their quarterback.

    Arizona’s offense ranked 21st in the NFL in scoring, averaging 20.0 points per game. They also ranked 31st in scoring defense, averaging 26.4 points per game allowed.

    Key Positional Needs

    Here’s where the Cardinals need to find help this offseason:

  • CB
  • OG
  • EDGE
  • DT
  • RB
  • Key Free Agents

    Here’s a look at the Cardinals upcoming key free agents:

  • Zach Allen (DE)
  • Kelvin Beachum (OT)
  • Cody Ford (G)
  • Max Garcia (G)
  • A.J. Green (WR)
  • Byron Murphy (CB)
  • Salary Cap & Draft Capital

    Here’s a look at the salary cap room and draft capital that the Cardinals have to work with this offseason:

  • Current draft picks: 3 (1), 34 (2), 66 (3), 96 (3), 105 (4), 169 (5), 180 (6), 213 (6)
  • Cap space: $13.8M
  • Offseason Outlook

    Arizona has a long road ahead of them, even with a new GM and head coach in place. The Cardinals have a long list of pending free agents, they have a ton of work to do on defense, and they’ll be without Kyler Murray for the first half of the season.

    So, clearing the cap, drafting well, and putting some future pieces in place will be the name of the game for the Cardinals this offseason. Arizona is looking to trade DeAndre Hopkins to help clear cap space.

    The Cardinals could also cut Robbie Anderson to clear $12 million in cap space. In addition, Rodney Hudson ($5.7 million), Markus Golden ($3.1 million), and Dennis Gardeck ($3 million) are potential cap casualties as well. Trading Hopkins and cutting those three players would give the Cardinals $39.4 million in cap space (per OTC’s cap calculator).

    Couple that money with four picks in the top 100 in the draft, and Arizona could have a successful offseason despite 2023 being a rebuilding year.


    If you’re looking for more offseason reading, Sam Hoppen at 4for4 (our sister company) is previewing each division:

    written by

    Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).

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