CBS Reveals Cardinals' Biggest Offseason Loss

The Arizona Cardinals have done much more adding in the offseason than losing. For the most part, players who have departed have been due to a desire to get younger or more talented at each position.

GM Monti Ossenfort has had a high-intensity outlook on his additions, bringing in as many talented defensive players as possible to bolster the weakest area of the Cardinals' roster.

So when one thinks of the names that have vacated the desert, it's hard to really think of a player whose departure makes one truly uneasy.

CBS Sports' Jared Dubin compiled a list of each NFL team's biggest loss in the offseason to this point. For the most part, that included highly-talented players leaving in free agency, or high-demand coordinators leaving for head coaching gigs.

What Was Cardinals' Biggest Loss?

That was not the case for the Cardinals. Dubin cited a different name when noting Arizona's loss: former offensive line coach Klayton Adams.

Adams was named the offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys this offseason — perhaps a doomed position to begin with, as new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer intends to call offensive plays himself.

Regardless of his role in Dallas, however, Dubin thinks this may be a bigger impact than one might expect for the Cardinals.

"Adams isn't a huge name, but his exit for the offensive coordinator role in Dallas could be a significant one. The former Cardinals offensive line coach was widely credited with being a big influence in Arizona's run game, which ranked second in the NFL in yards per carry over the last two years despite working with below-average talent up front," Dubin wrote.

The results have been evident under Adams. Not only has a group of linemen that don't generally jump off the page in a name-recognition manner developed into a cohesive unit, but the Cardinals have been able to exercise a run-first, power-type offense that relied more on coordination and execution than overall talent.

There are, of course, plenty of underrated names along Arizona's OL — names like Paris Johnson Jr., Evan Brown, and even resurgent veteran Kelvin Beachum. But it was obvious, despite some talent, that the Cardinals' big men played better as the sum of their parts.

QB Kyler Murray was one of the least-sacked passers in the league. Granted, that is due in part to his evasiveness and mobility, but the eye test showed a front wall that generally held up when expected.

It wasn't a perfect unit, or the most talented group in the NFL, but it was certainly well-coached. It will be interesting to see the direction Arizona's big men go, down their position coach in the 2025 season.