Cardinals' Biggest Post-Draft Question Revealed

The Arizona Cardinals have a major dilemma on their hands following a successful offseason's worth of additions to the roster.

Just this week, I touched on that dilemma facing GM Monti Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon.

After adding three top-end defensive contributors in free agency and bringing in six more potential impact layers in the NFL Draft, the Cardinals now have more depth defensively (particularly up front) than they know what to do with.

Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker broke down one pressing question for each NFL team post-draft. For the Cardinals, his question aligned with mine: with both young talent and proven veterans, who will start along the defensive line? Who will get the playing time, and how much?

Locker wrote:

"Arizona’s defense ranked 27th in EPA per play and 31st in success rate last season, prompting general manager Monti Ossenfort to make ample additions on that side of the ball via free agency and the draft. The Cardinals boast a much more talented defense than a year before, but determining the pecking order along the defensive line will be telling.

"Josh Sweat (70.0 PFF overall grade, 66 pressures) feels like a guarantee, given his $76.4 million contract to head to the desert, but the remaining positions aren’t completely solidified. On the outside, Zaven Collins (72.0 PFF overall grade) is also in a strong position to start, but Baron Browning (77.3 PFF pass-rushing grade) should garner snaps after his better play as a pass rusher.

"On the inside, Calais Campbell (82.3 PFF overall grade) is still a strong player, while first-round pick Walter Nolen (88.9 PFF overall grade) has high potential. Former top picks BJ Ojulari (64.1 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2023) and Darius Robinson (48.4 PFF overall grade) should also be healthy and could push for first-team reps."

The Cardinals are a team that has shifted its mentality from trying to patch roster holes with expensive veterans. Now, they focus on drafting and developing young players. Rather than stash these young players on the bench, Gannon and his staff have emphasized getting their younger guys onto the field to play meaningful, impactful snaps.

While the Cardinals likely know they need to give significant playing time to the likes of Sweat, Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson, there is also an entire wealth of young, rising stars, and some unproven, high-potential rookies to choose from as well.

It won't be an easy decision, but 2025's training camp may be one of the more intense roster competitions in recent history in the desert.