Swing and miss on another head coach and top draft pick, and it\u2019s back to the dugout for Ossenfort with no plate appearances left.<\/p>\n
TEMPE \u2014 Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort used one of his get-out-of-jail-free cards on Monday with the firing of head coach Jonathan Gannon.<\/p>\n
Posting a 15-36 mark across three seasons of work, the move was warranted regardless of the clear culture shift that took place under the head coach.<\/p>\n
But while Ossenfort bought himself some more time \u2014 and potentially the chance at handpicking Arizona\u2019s next franchise signal caller \u2014 he\u2019s nowhere near out of the woods. He deserves plenty of the blame for the recent failures in Arizona and his seat is that much hotter following Monday\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
Taking over the reins of a previous regime that had crumbled to rock bottom, it was going to be a process for the Cardinals to return to relevancy. Part of that was resetting a culture that was deeply fractured. That turned out to be an easier fix than expected.<\/p>\n
As for putting a competitive product on the field? That\u2019s been a different story.<\/p>\n
Since Ossenfort got to town in 2023, none of his draft picks have earned Pro Bowl nods. 2023 first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. looks to be a Cardinals cornerstone at left tackle, but Ossenfort\u2019s three other first-round picks have failed to live up to their price tags.<\/p>\n
Marvin Harrison Jr. took a step backward in Year 2 from both an injury and production standpoint. After appearing in all but one game since college, Harrison was forced out of five games due to appendicitis and heel issues. His 41 catches for 608 yards and four touchdowns were well off the mark of what was expected to be a major jump from the wideout. <\/p>\n
Instead, it was 2023 third-rounder Michael Wilson taking a gigantic leap forward in his third season, which leads to other questions:<\/p>\n
Why wasn\u2019t Wilson featured more in the offense before his coming out party midway through the season? And how much is Ossenfort to blame in how that\u2019s been handled?<\/p>\n
While fellow 2024 first-rounder Darius Robinson got back on track from an injury standpoint and showed some improvement in the run game, the lineman posted just one sack and 43 tackles in 15 games (12 starts).<\/p>\n
2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen III, meanwhile, showed he can be a game changer in this league. The only problem? Nolen couldn\u2019t stay healthy and may be in danger of missing time in 2026 after going down with a noncontact knee injury late in the year.<\/p>\n
Second-rounders Max Melton (2024) and BJ Ojulari (2023) haven\u2019t panned out the way they should, whether it be poor play or injury.<\/p>\n
Sure, Ossenfort has gotten more than expected out of later-round picks like Dante Stills, Cody Simon and Garrett Williams (to name a few), but when it comes to the premium picks at the very top of the draft board, it\u2019s largely been misses three seasons in. That\u2019s just not going to cut it.<\/p>\n
The same goes for Ossenfort\u2019s free agent hauls these past few seasons. While a serious argument can be made for Josh Sweat following his snub, the Cardinals haven\u2019t rostered one Pro Bowler from any of the general manager\u2019s classes to this point.<\/p>\n
For the most part, it\u2019s been quite the opposite. <\/p>\n
Arizona\u2019s biggest financial commitment in 2024, Justin Jones, made it just three games across two seasons before his release. Bilal Nichols is likely right behind him after neither could stay healthy. Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and offensive lineman Jonah Williams dealt with their fair share of injuries but also did not put up the type of numbers that screamed confidence.<\/p>\n
Go back one more year, and you\u2019ll find just two players still on the team from the 2023 class in starting center Hjalte Froholdt and defensive lineman L.J. Collier.<\/p>\n
Simply put, the whiffs outweigh the hits (even if Calais Campbell and Sweat are hits) by a good margin in the talent department.<\/p>\n
And because of that, the play on the field has suffered, especially given the amount of backend depth that was relied on due to the mountain of injuries this past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand what this job is and every decision is going to be looked at, \u2018Well you could have took this guy or you should have signed this guy,\u2019 Ossenfort said Monday when asked about what he hasn\u2019t done well in roster construction since taking over. \u201cThat\u2019s reality. That\u2019s what 31 other teams go through as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to do better at developing players. We have to do a better job of player acquisition,\u201d Ossenfort added. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s ever a point where you\u2019re going to say, \u2018Yes, we\u2019re all set. Our roster is where it needs to be.\u2019 That doesn\u2019t happen. I don\u2019t think even the teams that are in the playoffs this weekend would say that. Roster construction never ends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ossenfort enters 2026 with Gannon\u2019s firing marking the first strike for the general manager, a glaring sign he was off on his decision-making.<\/p>\n
How he handles the quarterback situation<\/a> \u2014 namely Kyler Murray<\/a> \u2014 could make it an 0-2 count by the time March rolls around.<\/p>\n Swing and miss on another head coach and top draft pick, and it\u2019s back to the dugout for Ossenfort with no plate appearances left.<\/p>\n
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