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Cardinals given middling free agency grade ahead of 2026 season

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 8:19 PM ET

GLENDALE – With the major moves done for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, Pro Football Focus took the time to grade general manager Monti Ossenfort’s moves. The franchise has 20 players this offseason, 14 new names on the roster. For a team that went 3-14, and GM with his job on the line, Ossenfort did an average job according to PFF.

NFL writer Gordon McGuinness grade Arizona’s free agent signings a C+, as a majority of the signings were signed as overpays.

Is Cardinals “C+” a fair grade?

McGuinness mentions four of the 12 new names, with three names give the PFF deal grade of average. Running back Tyler Allgeier, Kendrick Bourne and safety Andrew Wingard were seen as slight overpays. Pro Football Focus had the Cardinals paying $2 million more than expected to Allgeier, while Wingard was given an extra year and $5 million.

The most egregious for PFF was Bourne, who was seen only getting a one-year, league minimum deal, but Ossenfort signed him for over $11 million. However, when the team is coming off a 3-14 season, overpaying isn’t exactly shocking.

The only signing that was given a positive grade was offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal. McGuinness highlighted Seumalo’s 76.4 pass-block grade, which ranked seventh in the league amongst guards. His arrival will be a massive boost to an offensive line that was one of the NFL’s worst in 2025.

While no home run signings, Ossenfort signed plenty of new, veteran pieces that can start to build a foundation with head coach Mike LaFleur. Arizona didn’t make itself a favorite for the division or playoffs this free agency, but it laid the groundwork to start the long journey back to relevance.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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