Bill Barnwell called last season’s bad Cardinals defense “critically acclaimed.” He believes they will be productive in 2025.
The Arizona Cardinals put a lot of effort in their defense this offseason. They made their biggest moves in free agency on defense. They used six of their seven draft picks on defense, addressing every position. Needless to say, this group should be better in 2025.
That’s what ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes. In his NFC offseason superlatives analysis, he says the Cardinals are mostly likely to make a leap defensively.
Barnwell called last year’s Cardinals defense “critically acclaimed,” as it was creative and fun to watch. The problem was that it wasn’t good.
The problem is the Cardinals didn’t really have the juice up front. They were hoping for a breakout Year 2 from BJ Ojulari, only for the edge rusher to miss the entire season because of a torn ACL. They traded for Baron Browning in midseason, but the former Broncos edge rusher was only a part-time contributor. Gannon mixed in defensive backs as pass rushers to try to create protection problems for teams, but when Arizona rushed four front-seven players at opposing quarterbacks, its 28.6% pressure rate ranked 26th. The Cardinals got better as the season went along, but they finished 20th in points allowed per drive and 21st in EPA per play allowed.
They added juice up front. They get Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols back from season-ending injuries. They signed interior defenders Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell. They brought back L.J. Collier. They re-signed Browning and gave a big contract to pass rusher Josh Sweat. Then they drafted Walter Nolen in the first round.
And that doesn’t include adding cornerback Will Johnson in Round 2.
The Cardinals ranked ninth in EPA per play on offense a year ago, putting them ahead of seven playoff teams, including the division champion Rams. If Gannon and his new defenders can just propel the defense a tiny bit forward, Arizona should have a real shot at competing for the NFC West crown and making it back into the postseason.
The Cardinals struggled to get off the field. They didn’t generate pressure and didn’t create turnovers. They overachieved as a group defensively. That play, especially late in the season, put pressure on the offense, which led to turnovers by quarterback Kyler Murray.
How good can this defense be?
That will depend on health. If Sweat is equal to last season and Ojulari plays like he was supposed to before getting hurt, and if they keep their defensive line healthy, they will be a handful.
They don’t need to be a top-five defense, but they could surprise the way the Cardinals’ 2021 defense did before injuries in the second half. That play in 2021 is why they started 9-1. Their decline in play was why things fell apart.
The offense was productive and efficient overall last season. With a better defense, this Cardinals team could be surprisingly good.
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