Cardinals' Deepest, Thinnest Positions After NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals' roster is distinctly different following both free agency and the NFL Draft. It's no coincidence GM Monti Ossenfort dumped everything he had into the defensive side, particularly focusing on one position group.

The Cardinals' roster wasn't in need of a complete overhaul after making significant progress between 2023 and 2024, but some areas of head coach Jonathan Gannon's squad are night-and-day, while other could still need some work.

After free agency, and seven selections in the NFL Draft, here are the deepest and thinnest position groups remaining:

Deepest - Defensive Front

It feels almost surreal to be writing this, knowing what Arizona's defensive line and pass rush looked like just a mere month and a half ago. Ossenfort got to work right away, signing EDGE Josh Sweat to a lucrative deal.

But he continued by adding to the interior DL. Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell both joined the Cardinals' growing DL, bringing veteran savvy and plenty of beef.

Then, Walter Nolen III came in the first round, followed by edge rusher Jordan Burch in the third. Add all of these new additions together, then remember that the Cardinals are expecting a big year two out of DL Darius Robinson and edge rusher B.J. Ojulari.

It might not be the most talented unit in the NFL still, but the Cardinals will face a unique challenge in the fact that they will likely need to make cuts along the DL, a complete 180 from years prior.

Thinnest - Wide Receiver

Ossenfort opted to forgo offense in both free agency and the draft, only selecting an interior OL in the Draft, and mainly returning former offensive players in free agency.

Arizona does have legitimate weapons to catch passes from QB Kyler Murray, but the production appears to be limited to TE Trey McBride and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. for the time being.

Despite predictions that Harrison is in line for a breakout season — a very real possibility — the Cardinals don't have much in way of depth at the position. Michael Wilson has struggled with both separation and injuries, Greg Dortch has hardly been utilized in the slot, and Zay Jones was a non-factor in 2025.

The Cardinals are clear with their intention to run a run-first, tight end-heavy offense, and that is fine, but Arizona needs more than two serious receiving threats, and in the event of injury, the passing game could quickly become a disaster.