With the NFL offseason almost wrapped up and training camp coming to a close soon, it’s a good time to take a look at each NFL team’s offseason recap as we get just a few weeks away from the start of the regular season. Let’s take a look at the Arizona Cardinals’ new team and analyze the team’s incoming and outgoing players as they shape up for the 2026 season.
The Arizona Cardinals are entering a rebuilding era after going 3-14 in 2025 and the offseason departure of longtime Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray had been drafted with the first overall pick in 2019 and had been leading the Cardinals since, but injuries and an unreliable team around him prompted the Cardinals to start fresh. The Cardinals hired offensive-minded head coach Mike LaFleur to be the new leader of their new era, and he’s tasked with rebuilding the Cardinals from scratch into a competitive franchise.
The Cardinals made quite a few free agency signings on offense, adding skill-position players as well as bolstering the offensive line. One of their biggest free agent signings was guard Isaac Seumalo, who the Cardinals signed to a three-year, $31.5 million contract after spending the previous two seasons with the Steelers. Seumalo is a 10-year league veteran and is a big upgrade at guard as the Cardinals rebuild their offensive line.
The Cardinals also brought in some new playmakers in running back Tyler Allgeier and receiver Kendrick Bourne. Allgeier signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal with the Cardinals after four seasons with the Falcons. Allgeier will bring his physical running style to Arizona and form a new backfield pair with Jeremiyah Love.
Lastly, Bourne signed a two-year, $10 million deal after spending the 2025 season with the 49ers. He’ll likely be the Cardinals’ WR3 behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and the newly re-signed Michael Wilson.
The Cardinals’ biggest outgoing player is undoubtedly Kyler Murray. Murray had been the face of the Cardinals franchise for the past seven seasons and opens the Cardinals up to many questions at quarterback in 2026. Jacoby Brissett will take Murray’s place as the starter after playing in 14 games for the team last year due to Murray missing most of the season with a foot injury.
In Brissett’s 14 games last year, he exceeded expectations, throwing for 3,366 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Brissett’s been a career backup for nearly his entire NFL career, but he’ll get a chance at a fresh start with the Cardinals entering the new year.
Besides Murray, the Cardinals also lost some veterans on defense in Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Jalen Thompson. Campbell is entering his 19th NFL season and, despite just turning 40, was still a productive veteran with the Cardinals last season, where he racked up 6.5 sacks.
Alongside Campbell, the Cardinals also lost defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, who is a nine-year veteran and played in all 17 games for the Cardinals last season. Both Tomlinson and Campbell will be important losses for Arizona, not just because of their production but also due to their veteran presence and experience leaving the Cardinals’ defense.
The Cardinals entered the 2026 NFL Draft with seven total selections and used five of their seven picks on offensive players, emphasizing their focus on rebuilding the offense through young talent. One of the results of the Cardinals’ poor 3-14 record was that they received a top-three overall selection in the Draft, which they used on electric Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Love is coming off a 2025 season with Notre Dame where he rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns while also adding 280 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Love was easily one of the most talented playmakers in the entire draft and he should figure to be one of the main focal points of new head coach Mike LaFleur’s offense alongside Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Cardinals also drafted guard Chase Bisontis with their second-round pick. Bisontis has experience starting at both tackle and guard in college and, although he unfortunately tore his MCL during the preseason, he should be an important part of the Cardinals’ reformed offensive line in the future. The Cardinals also drafted other notable players such as quarterback Carson Beck, defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor and receiver Reggie Virgil.
The Cardinals are going into year one of their rebuild, so expectations are low entering the new season. The offense underwent significant changes with Jacoby Brissett now leading from under center and the additions of Jeremiyah Love, Kendrick Bourne, Tyler Allgeier and some new offensive linemen. First-year head coach Mike LaFleur will be tasked with getting the most from this offense, but he has more than enough weapons to work with as his playmaking trio of Love, Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride should be the key producers on offense.
The Cardinals’ defense is an incredibly young squad and will be led by experienced players in Budda Baker, Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins but also has plenty of high-drafted players in Walter Nolen III, Darius Robinson and Will Johnson hoping to make an impact. The Cardinals likely won’t be a playoff team under LaFleur’s year-one restart, but they have highly talented players on both sides of the ball who could help push the Cardinals out of their rebuild ahead of schedule.
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