Grading Every Arizona Cardinals Position After Week 1

Quarterback - C

The mantra this offseason has centered around consistency and unfortunately Kyler Murray did not show that on Sunday.

A quick look at the stat line doesn't tell a full story of how he played. He had a 72% completion rate and finished with 2 passing touchdowns, but things still felt very off. There was questionable decision making, there were missed throws to open receivers.

Murray has struggled with consistency not only on a game to game basis but on a drive to drive basis. A brilliant 2nd quarters was followed by an anemic second half that was just good enough for the Cardinals to escape New Orleans with a win.

Murray will need to significantly up his game if he wants to compete in the NFC West this year and quiet the growing fan discontent at his up and down play.

Offensive Line - C

The biggest question going into this game was how the second year guard Isaiah Adams would perform in his new starting role. Unfortunately, it was not the most inspiring of performances. A pre-snap penalty early in the game helped stall out a drive and he got beat too often. He improved down the stretch but with veteran Will Hernandez waiting in the wings Adams will need to step up his game.

Beyond Adams, Murray was under pressure far too often against what was viewed as a relatively weak Saints defense. Offensive line will need to tighten up considerably.

Running Back - B

The numbers weren't gaudy on the ground but there were some highlights like a beautiful 52-yard gash from Trey Benson. He continues to bounce around a bit too much behind the line but he is still growing and showcased his homerun potential.

Tight End - A

Trey McBride has entered the upper echelons of tight ends in the NFL and he demonstrated yet again why he deserves that respect.

McBride led the team in targets with nine balls going his way of which he caught 6 for 61 yards. He continues to be the safety blanket of this offense and opposing defenses clearly have a lot of respect for what he brings to the game.

Tip Reiman also managed to get in on the action with a 10 yard catch for a first down.

Wide Receiver - B-

Marvin Harrison Jr. had a good performance to open his 2025 season. He caught five of six balls for 71 yards and a score including a beautiful 45 yard bomb that put the Cardinals in scoring position in the second quarter.

Beyond Harrison, however, the wide receiver room was nearly nonexistent. Michael Wilson was targeted four times but only managed one reception for 5 yards and Greg Dortch ended the afternoon with negative yardage.

The rest of this position group will have to step up for the Cardinals offense to find sustained success this year.

Grades: Arizona Cardinals Defense

Defensive Line - B-

A lot has been made of this rebuilt Cardinals defensive line for 2025, but they did not blow the roof off of the Superdome by any stretch.

To their credit, Alvin Kamara was not allowed to have his way on the ground but the Cardinals still struggled to effectively and consistently pressure the quarterback. There were only credited hits on Rattler from Josh Sweat and Baron Browning, who also had the only sack of the afternoon.

It was a safe but uninspired performance from a group that was supposed to be much improved.

Linebackers - B-

Before the game, linebacker seemed like the weakest position group on this rebuilt defense and nothing from Sunday's matchup disproved that.

Tackling was a problem and Saints' tight ends had a bit too easy of an afternoon. Cody Simon went out with concussion on a special teams play and a thin group got even more suspect.

This was going to be a C until Mack Wilson, Sr. leapt like a gazelle to bat a ball out of the air and prevent a possible late Saints touchdown that would have taken the game to overtime. For that gamechanging play alone, the grade goes up.

Secondary - A

The toughest position to grade because there was a fair amount of bad and amazing plays to balance. In this case, the good plays and the potential that was showcased will be enough to get the secondary the best grade of the afternoon on defense.

The biggest takeaway is Will Johnson. He picked off Rattler in the first quarter but it was called back off a dubious Max Melton holding penalty. Beyond that though, Johnson played a very complete four quarters of professional football. He more than held his own and even laid down a massive hit on star Saints receiver Chris Olave that will make him a fan favorite.

It would be criminal to not also mention the game-saving play from Budda Baker punching out a caught pass in the end zone to keep the afternoon from going into overtime.

Special Teams - B+

There are still some things to clean up on kick returns, but no fumbles and Greg Dortch put together a few nice returns.

Chad Ryland made two field goals, only missing the third on a blocked kick. Punter Blake Gillikin had some real boots that flipped the field. Overall, a good performance.

GAME GPA - 2.93

Is it enough to get to graduation? Yes.

Is it a GPA to be proud of? No.

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