Ranking Cardinals Best Offseason Moves

While it will get harder to rank some offseason moves as we go along, the number one spot securely belongs to the acquisition of edge rusher Josh Sweat in free agency.

Considered the No. 1 target in the pass rushing department in this free agency market, Sweat commanded a considerable contract: 4-years, $76.4 million.

Gannon was Sweat's defensive coordinator in Philadelphia for two seasons that just so happened to be the best statistical years of his career. Not necessarily a world beater, Sweat is still a high level NFL talent that is already familiar with the Cardinals defensive schemes and incredibly reliable.

The team's pass rush was oft-injured and streaky in 2024 and Sweat comes in as the undeniable top dog in that position group.

His signing was also the first indication, early in the offseason, that Ossenfort and Gannon were looking to level up in 2025. Ossenfort had been famously unwilling to spend top tier money in previous offseasons and the contract he gave to Sweat proved that the Cardinals were serious about taking the next step.

2. Signing Dalvin Tomlinson in Free Agency

This move ranking so high will likely be a bit controversial, but hear it out.

The Cardinals tried to improve the defensive line in the 2024 offseason by signing a slew of free agents like Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, and Khyiris Tonga as well as drafting Darius Robinson in the first round.

Sadly, those moves did not work out largely due to injury and the position group struggled through dozens of different starting lineups.

Instead of praying and hoping that things would magically work out with players coming back from injury, the Cardinals decided to continue addressing the position and signing Davlin Tomlinson was a major piece of that rebuild effort.

Tomlinson has been one of the most reliable true nose tackles in the league for the past several years. Not a household name but well-respected among players and a sturdy presence in the middle of the defensive line.

His name has gotten lost in the swirl of offseason moves, but that is a disservice to the impact Tomlinson can have on this team as a leader and run stuffer, not to mention his pass rush upside on the interior.

3. Taking a Swing on Will Johnson in the Draft

In the days immediately preceding the 2025 NFL Draft, formerly consensus Michigan cornerback Will Johnson saw his stock fall due to leaked information about a knee injury/surgery he went through a couple of years ago.

Before this, Johnson was frequently being mocked to the Cardinals as early as their No. 16 pick, but teams got gun shy and somehow a player that was once considered the best cornerback prospect in this class was still available when the team rolled around again at pick No. 47.

There is no guarantee that Johnson will turn into a true No. 1 corner, but everything an evaluator could ask for to predict that was available in his college tape. Drafting him was yet another sign that the Cardinals want to be smart in how they rebuild this team for contention, but are willing to swing for the fences when certain scenarios fall into their laps.

4. Securing a Solid Backup Quarterback in Jacoby Brissett

There is something to analyze here about ranking the signing of a backup quarterback one of the best offseason moves, but that is for another article.

The reality is that 2024 was the only season in Kyler Murray's career where he started every single game. That has ranged from missing a game here and there for various reasons to missing large chunks of the 2022 and 2023 seasons to a devastating knee injury.

For two years, the Cardinals had the stalwart Colt McCoy to take those starts in Murray's absence. In 2021, McCoy was able to go 2-1 in his starts and help solidify the first playoff spot for the team since 2015.

The lessons of the 2023 season when the Cardinals were missing Murray for the first nine games must have stuck with Ossenfort and the front office. The team was not expected to be good, to be fair, but Joshua Dobbs went 1-7 in his starts and Clayton Tune also lost in his single appearance that year.

Jacoby Brissett is in a different breed of backups much more akin to what the Cardinals once had in McCoy. In his 9 year career, Brissett has started 53 games and played in 87, five more than Murray has appeared in.

He has gone in and out of starting positions, but it is clear that Brissett can win a team games in tight spots. The security of knowing there is an experienced player in the wings in the case of a Murray injury, minor or major, is hard to overrate.

5. Re-Signing Barron Browning

Edge rusher Baron Browning came to the Cardinals as part of a midseason trade with the Denver Broncos in 2024, appearing in eight games for his new team.

The Cardinals defense is considered rather complex and for a player without the benefit of any offseason training in his new scheme, Browning acquitted himself very well and started to come on near the end of the year.

In his eight games, Browning ranked 16th among eligible edge rushers with a PFF pass rush grade of 77.3 and sixth in that same group with a 18.6% pass rush win rate. With a full offseason of training and a full 17 game season, it is reasonable to hope that Browning can be a key component of the Cardinals overhauled pass rush.

Pairing Browning with the addition of Josh Sweat and the hopeful emergence of B.J. Ojulari will give the Cardinals some options on the edge that they could have only dreamed of a year ago and should be a noticeable improvement from day one.