Cardinals Could Say Goodbye to 2 Veteran DL

"Between the two of them, Tomlinson ($16.2 million) and Nichols ($7.8 million) carry $24 million in cap damage into 2026. Unfortunately, neither was an impact player in 2025, as Nichols missed 13 games (with zero starts) after missing 11 the year prior, and Tomlinson’s 44.3 overall PFF grade ranked 67th out of 74 interior defensive linemen with 500+ snaps," wrote Matt Okada.

"Incidentally, fellow Cardinals DT Darius Robinson was dead last on that leaderboard at 30.3. Needless to say, Arizona needs a full reset on the defensive interior. That should start with the pre-June 1 release of Tomlinson for $9.4 million in cap savings or $14.5 million as a post-June 1 designation. Nichols should quickly follow to free up another $5.8 million. From there, the front office will have a lot of work to do to find a new answer at quarterback and get back to competing in the toughest division in football."

Tomlinson is more likely to stay than Nichols, as his role as a gap-eater within Arizona's interior won't produce eye-jumping numbers on the box score. He was also available for all 17 games while Nichols has featured in just ten games across his two seasons in the desert.

Nichols has also been with the team longer, giving the Cardinals a bigger sample size of play.

The Cardinals may not opt to cut either, however. Arizona's defensive line room is thin with Calais Campbell, Justin Jones, L.J. Collier and P.J. Mustipher hitting free agency. Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson haven't been 100% healthy during their respective tenures, either.

The return of defensive coordinator Nick Rallis for 2026 could bode well for either defensive lineman to return, if Rallis so chooses. With Jonathan Gannon and head coach Mike LaFleur focusing his attention on the offensive side of the ball, it feels like Rallis will have more power within the overall defensive picture.

James Conner, unfortunately, is also a cut candidate — you can read more about that here.