NFL.com listed the seven most improved teams this offseason. The Cardinals make the cut.
The Arizona Cardinals, coming off an 8-9 season in 2024, made great strides in improving their roster this offseason. Almost all their offseason additions, both in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft focused on their defense.
With their moves, they were named one of the seven most improved teams by NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
Like another team on this list (New England), Arizona had some money to spend and needs to address. That’s how the Cardinals landed edge rusher Josh Sweat, reuniting him with Jonathan Gannon, who helped Sweat enjoy his best seasons in Philadelphia while serving as the Eagles‘ defensive coordinator. DE Calais Campbell returns to the team with which he spent the first nine seasons of his career. He provides a veteran presence, as does Dalvin Tomlinson, helping to revamp the defensive front in one offseason. Rookie DT Walter Nolen (drafted 16th overall) will play a part, too, along with CB Will Johnson, a first-round talent who slid into Round 2 (No. 47) because of concerns about his knee, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, though Johnson later said he’s healthy. Keep an eye on linebacker Cody Simon, who enters the NFL as a fourth-round pick (No. 115) after enjoying an incredible run through the College Football Playoff with Ohio State, starring in a dominant Rose Bowl win over Oregon and juicing his draft stock along the way.
Arizona’s offense was solid in 2024. It was their defense that needed work. They were bad at stopping the run, sacking the quarterback and forcing turnovers. With their added talent up front, they should both be better against the run and produce more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That should lead to more takeaways.
Looking back at the 2021 season, their first-half success was because the defense was better than advertised, which improved the offense, which, in turn, made it harder to run against them.
The offense is largely unchanged in terms of personnel in 2025, but the defense, with major additions to every level, should be much improved.
The other teams named with the Cardinals are the most improved were the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and New York Jets.
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