Offseason In Review: Arizona Cardinals

The Kyler Murray homework clause showed signs the team’s recommitment to its previous nucleus may not work out, but it was difficult to predict just how far the Cardinals would fall. Murray struggled through his worst season, one that ended with an ACL tear, and the Cardinals bailed on the Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim extensions less than a year after authorizing them. While the Titans joined the Cards in ditching a GM they had extended earlier in 2022, Arizona pulled the plug on its head coach as well. As a result, this franchise appears to be transitioning into a clear rebuild.

Coaching/Front Office:

• Fired Kliff Kingsbury as HC, Steve Keim as GM
• Named Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon head coach, hired Titans exec Monti Ossenfort as GM
• Cardinals, Eagles exchanged draft picks due to tampering penalty for improper pursuit of Gannon
• Hired Eagles LBs coach Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator, Browns QBs coach Drew Petzing as OC
• Parted ways with DC Vance Joseph; defensive line coach Matt Burke became Texans’ DC
• Named Lions director of college scouting Dave Sears as assistant GM
• Added Colts’ Klayton Adams as offensive line coach, Browns’ Israel Woolfork as QBs coach
• Interim GM Adrian Wilson left to become Panthers’ VP of player personnel
• Former exec Terry McDonough files complaint against owner Michael Bidwill

Keim’s tenure produced high points, one of them including the only 13-win season in Cardinals history (2015). The team could not follow up that Carson Palmer-led effort, and the QB’s retirement preceded a 3-13 campaign. Bidwill still gave Keim the opportunity to hire a third head coach (Kingsbury). Draft misses plagued Keim in Arizona, but despite those and the extreme DUI arrest in 2018, the GM lasted 10 years and secured an extension following the Cards’ 2021 playoff berth. The organization is still on the hook for Keim money through 2027, with the longtime exec out of football, but it altered its blueprint by making an outside hire to replace him.

The Cardinals promoted Keim from within in 2013 and elevated his predecessor, Rod Graves, from in-house in 2003. Coming into this offseason, Bob Ferguson (hired in 1996) represented the franchise’s last outside addition for the GM role. With the Cardinals being unable to sustain success under Graves or Keim, the objective became an outside hire. Ossenfort beat out Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham for the position, but a report also indicated Cunningham turned down the job. Regardless of how Ossenfort reached this post, it will be on him to attempt to revive the Cardinals.

The latest ex-Bill Belichick staffer given a chance to lead a team, Ossenfort indeed spent the bulk of his professional career in New England. The Minnesota native worked his way up from the personnel assistant level to the Patriots’ director of college scouting by the time his 17-year Foxborough run ended in 2019. The Titans hired Ossenfort as their player personnel director, under fellow ex-Pats staffer Jon Robinson. Ossenfort, 45, interviewed for five GM jobs from 2020-23, receiving interest as the Titans continued to voyage to the playoffs while lacking a top-tier quarterback. After spending his career helping the Patriots extend their dynasty and keeping the Titans on the contender tier, Ossenfort has taken over a fixer-upper in Arizona.

Bidwill and Keim’s Kingsbury hire drew criticism in the moment, with the team firing a Black coach (Steve Wilks) to hire someone recently fired from a college HC job. Kingsbury drove the bus for Murray (over Nick Bosa), even with the Cardinals choosing Josh Rosen 10th overall in 2018. Murray turned out to be a good investment at the time, zooming to two Pro Bowls and giving the Cardinals their most exciting homegrown QB in team history. Kingsbury had the Cards at 10-2 in 2021, winning multiple games with Colt McCoy at the helm that year, but the team’s second-half downturn and wild-card blowout loss proved indicative of its direction. While Kingsbury expressed shock upon being fired months after signing a through-2027 extension, rumors about his shaky job security — amid reported clashes with Murray — lingered for months. Kingsbury, 44, is now back at USC.

Ossenfort conducted a lengthy search to replace Kingsbury. The process involved Sean Payton, but the Super Bowl-winning HC chose the Broncos. After Payton’s Denver pledge, Dan Quinn removing himself from HC searches and DeMeco Ryans canceling his Cardinals interview, Brian Flores — an Ossenfort Patriots coworker for over a decade — pulled out of the process. In late January, the Cardinals added more names to their search. Lou Anarumo, Brian Callahan and Mike Kafka interviewed, but the Cards waited even longer to speak officially with their preferred candidate.

Gannon’s Arizona path caused some issues for the Cardinals and Eagles. The two-year Philadelphia DC spoke with Ossenfort following the NFC championship game, which violated the NFL’s tampering rules. Bidwill then announced he wanted to postpone a hire until after Super Bowl LVII, suggesting one of the Eagles’ coordinators was on his radar. The Gannon interview did not officially take place until after the game, but a report during the Eagles’ 38-35 loss indicated Gannon was all but certain to land the job. The tampering violation led to the Cardinals’ third-round pick dropping 28 slots in the draft, but Gannon — hired nearly six weeks after the regular season’s conclusion — became the choice.

Reminding of Matt Patricia‘s final act in his first Patriots stint, Gannon’s defense was ineffective in the Super Bowl. Two Chiefs goal-line plays befuddled the Eagles, with no one within several feet of Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore on walk-in touchdowns that helped Kansas City prevail in a shootout. The Cards’ improper Gannon pursuit also affected Vic Fangio‘s Philly status.

But the Eagles did make considerable strides under Gannon, who coached enjoyed top-flight personnel last season. DVOA viewed Gannon’s first Eagles offering as a step down, with the unit going from 15th in 2020 to 25th in 2021. Last season, which featured the Eagles fall two sacks shy (70) of the 1984 Bears’ single-season record, brought a sixth-place ranking. As Shane Steichen parlayed Jalen Hurts‘ improvement into the Colts’ HC job, Gannon — who also interviewed for the Texans’ job — rode Philly’s defensive improvement into the Cardinals’ top sideline job.

Separating with Joseph, the Cardinals hired the league’s youngest defensive coordinator to replace him. Rallis turned 30 this offseason. While Gannon, 40, has a defensive background, he is giving Rallis the play-calling reins. Rallis spent two seasons with the Eagles, moving from the quality control level (on Mike Zimmer‘s Vikings staffs). The Joseph-to-Rallis play-calling transition will mark a steep experience downgrade. Although the Cardinals’ defense regressed last season, Joseph turned in two top-10 DVOA showings (2020 and ’21) during his tenure.

Gannon, who coached Vikings DBs for four years under Zimmer, did not overlap with Rallis in Minneapolis. But he did with Petzing, who spent six seasons on Zimmer’s staff. The Kingsbury-to-Petzing transition will be more important, with the ex-Browns assistant now the top offensive coach on the Cardinals’ staff. Petzing, 36, coached tight ends in Cleveland during Kevin Stefanski‘s first two seasons and shifted to the more appealing (for coordinator searches) QBs position last year. Jacoby Brissett‘s bounce-back effort undoubtedly helped Petzing, who withstood Deshaun Watson‘s shaky debut to land this job. Gannon will also entrust Woolfork, who spent the past two seasons on coaching fellowships in Cleveland, to be Murray’s position coach. The Cardinals will be light on staff experience this season.

Free agency additions:

• Kyzir White, LB: Two years, $10MM ($6MM guaranteed)
• Hjalte Froholdt, OL: Two years, $4.6MM ($2.11MM guaranteed)
• Zach Pascal, WR: Two years, $4.5MM ($1.5MM guaranteed)
• Elijah Wilkinson, OL: One year, $1.23MM ($1.1MM guaranteed)
• Dennis Daley, OL: Two years, $3.2MM ($750K guaranteed)
• Geoff Swaim, TE: One year, $1.7MM ($450K guaranteed)
• Kris Boyd, CB: One year, $1.23MM ($428K guaranteed)
• Carlos Watkins, DL: One year, $1.67MM ($250K guaranteed)
• L.J. Collier, DE: One year, $1.23MM ($76K guaranteed)
• Kevin Strong, DL: One year, $1.17MM ($76K guaranteed)
• Rashad Fenton, CB: One year, $1.23MM ($76K guaranteed)
• Pat Elflein, OL: One year, $1.15MM ($25K guaranteed)
• Krys Barnes, LB: One year, $1.04MM ($25K guaranteed)
• Corey Clement, RB: One year, $1.1MM
• Jeff Driskel, QB: One year, $1.1MM
• Matt Haack, P: One year, $1.1MM
• Marlon Mack, RB: One year, $1.1MM

For the time being, the Cardinals have both Froholdt and Wilkinson in place as starters. A Week 1 starting assignment would be new territory for Froholdt, who boasts connections to Ossenfort (as a 2019 Patriots draftee) and Petzing (as a two-year Browns blocker). Froholdt made six starts with Cleveland last season. Wilkinson (36 career starts) has tackle and guard starter experience. The Broncos turned to Wilkinson after Ja’Wuan James‘ Week 1 injury in 2019; the former made 12 right tackle starts that year. Wilkinson also opened last season as the Falcons’ left guard, but a knee injury limited him to nine games. The Cardinals have Wilkinson stationed as their left guard starter.

The Panthers released Elflein two seasons into a three-year contract. Elflein, 29, started at center and guard in Carolina. A hip injury ended his 2022 season after six games. The Panthers did not have a first-unit opening for the ex-Vikings draftee this year, but the Cardinals could probably use his services. And Petzing and Gannon were in Minnesota when he was drafted. Even if Elflein (64 starts) usurps Wilkinson or Froholdt, the Cardinals will be rolling with low-cost veterans at three of their five starting O-line posts.

Gannon and Rallis brought White over from Philly, and his contract is in line with how the non-Tremaine Edmunds–Bobby Okereke linebacker market played out. After signing a one-year, $3MM Eagles deal, the converted safety operated as a full-time linebacker for the Eagles’ NFC champion outfit. Teaming with T.J. Edwards, White totaled 110 tackles and seven passes defensed. The Eagles used the ex-Chargers draftee on 75% of their defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus slotted White, 27, as a top-35 off-ball linebacker in 2021 and ’22.

Considering Isaiah Simmons is now a full-time DB and Zaven Collins has shifted to the edge, White figures to see even more playing time in Arizona. He and Barnes, a 23-game Packers starter from 2020-21, emerged as the first-string ILBs on Gannon’s first Cardinals defense. The Cardinals do not have much in the way of draft picks or dollars invested at the off-ball linebacker spots, making White the clear centerpiece. Barnes, 25, sustained an ankle injury in Week 1 of last season. That halted his run as a Packers starter, but it looks like the Cardinals are readying to give the former UDFA another first-string run.

Pascal, 28, was with Gannon in Philly and Indianapolis. While the frequent T.Y. Hilton sub could not beat out Quez Watkins for a regular Eagles role, he does have two 600-yard receiving seasons on his resume. The Cards are planning to use more two-tight end sets to capitalize on their Zach Ertz–Trey McBride duo, but beyond Marquise Brown, this is a thin receiving depth chart. Pascal should have a better chance to carve out a steady role than he did on an Eagles team rostering A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Re-signings:

• Will Hernandez, G: Two years, $9MM ($4.5MM guaranteed)
• Matt Prater, K: Two years, $7.5MM ($4MM guaranteed)
• Kelvin Beachum, T: Two years, $5.1MM ($3.26MM guaranteed)
• Antonio Hamilton, CB: One year, $1.5MM ($1.5MM guaranteed)
• Zeke Turner, LB: One year, $2MM ($653K guaranteed)
• Aaron Brewer, LS: One year, $1.17MM

Stationed at right guard, Hernandez has a clear role on the latest Cardinals O-line; Beachum does not. As Rodney Hudson, D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh went down with major injuries last year, Beachum started all 17 games. The Ossenfort-Gannon regime brought Beachum back, but he is currently slotted as a swing tackle. Beachum’s contract does align with that role, and mentoring first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. while representing veteran depth may suit the 34-year-old blocker well at this point in his career. That said, if a team like the Jets or Patriots called the Cardinals about the recently re-signed tackle, he would likely be available given the NFC West team’s present state. Beachum has started 147 games over the course of his 11-year career.

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