Cardinals Have Room For Growth in NFL Defense Rankings

The Arizona Cardinals have made a number of changes on the defensive side of the football this offseason in hopes of improving the unit.

Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport ranked all 32 defenses in the league, and the Cardinals came in at No. 19.

"The Arizona Cardinals were a middle of the pack defense a year ago, but the team was wildly aggressive in upgrading on that side of the ball in both free agency and the draft," Davenport wrote.

"The crown jewel of the team’s free agent acquisitions was edge-rusher Josh Sweat, who dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. It will fall to Sweat to spearhead an Arizona pass rush that posted a middling 41 sacks in 2024.

"The draft is where the Cardinals really blasted away at the defense. Beginning with Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen at No. 16, six of their seven picks came on defense, including one of the draft’s biggest potential steals in Will Johnson in Round 2.

"Johnson and fellow rookie Denzel Burke could find themselves playing relatively early—the CB room in Arizona remains a question mark. The even bigger one is the team’s linebackers—top option Akeem Davis-Gaither has spent most of his professional career as more of a special-teams contributor than a full-time starter.

"There’s potential for improvement here, but the defensive ceiling in the desert still isn’t especially high."

The Cardinals have a lot of potential, which drums up excitement, but it doesn't mean much quite yet. The defense still has to perform and prove itself before it can be taken seriously as one of the best in the league.

Until then, the Cardinals will have to be considered one of the more "middle of the road" defenses.

The Cardinals will participate in rookie minicamp from Friday until Sunday.