The Arizona Cardinals have had a busy offseason. They have rebuilt their defense up front, focusing on the defensive line and the defensive edge. They addressed every level of the defense in the draft and re-signed a number of players from last season.
With their work in free agency and the NFL draft, PFF gives them a B-plus, as they graded every team’s offseason.
The Cardinals went into this offseason looking to make sure Jonathan Gannon had everything he needed (realistically) as a defensive-minded head coach to morph Arizona’s defense into a top-10 unit, if not top-five.
When Gannon first took over, Arizona finished the 2023 season with a 50.9 team PFF defense grade and a 38.2 PFF run-defense grade. Adding Josh Sweat, Walter Nolen and Will Johnson, as well as veterans Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, are steps in the right direction for 2025. The Cardinals didn’t do much on the interior offensive line, which kept this grade from reaching the A range.
Advertisement
The potential for a top-10 or top-five defensive unit is exciting. They had an efficient offense last season but the defense struggled to get off the field when it mattered.
Did they do enough on the offensive line? They did re-sign Evan Brown and still could bring back Will Hernandez.
One might argue the Cardinals should have done more on the offensive line and at receiver, but with the additions they made defensively, this team has had a good offseason.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL offseason grades: Arizona Cardinals praised for work on defense