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From signing Josh Sweat to drafting Walter Nolen, the Arizona Cardinals made several key changes in the 2025 NFL offseason. With several new additions making a smooth transition in minicamp, the Cardinals face an interesting roster situation entering training camp.
Final cuts are not due until August, but many internal discussions occur after minicamp. The Cardinals entered the offseason with a handful of internal positional battles, putting a lot of weight on the early offseason.
After investing heavily in their offense in 2024, the Cardinals focused most of their energy on defense in the 2025 offseason. Led by Nolen and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, Arizona spent seven of its eight draft picks on defenders. They did not have a lot of room to work with in free agency, making veteran pass-rushers Sweat and Calais Campbell their only notable free agent signings.
Without making many roster changes, the Cardinals are banking on internal development pushing them forward in 2025. Arizona expects big second-year leaps from Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey Benson and Isaiah Adams. The team also looks for continuous progression from Trey McBride after giving the tight end a lucrative four-year extension.
Ahead of his pivotal third season, the pieces appear to be in order for Jonathan Gannon to succeed. However, as the Cardinals continue to progress, not everyone will continue growing along with the team.
WR Zay Jones
Despite entering the league as a second-round pick, Zay Jones' expectations have not been high for years. Regardless, he still disappointed in 2024, mustering a career-low 84 receiving yards. Jones battled an early-season suspension and nagging injuries, resulting in his shockingly minute 23.5 percent offensive snap share.
Jones enters the 2025 offseason as the team's most experienced wideout, but is arguably the biggest liability. After the Cardinals expected Jones to be a veteran leader of the group in 2024, his letdown season could only have plummeted their updated calculations. Arizona re-signed Jones on a one-year deal in March, but his competition increased tenfold in minicamp.
Jones was already expected to begin the year as a backup behind Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Harrison. He joined Quez Watkins, Xavier Weaver, Simi Fehoko and Andre Baccellia as the reserves of an updated receiving room. The Cardinals were reportedly pleased with the group in minicamp, with nearly every backup other than Jones generating buzz. Weaver, in particular, caught Gannon's eye in minicamp.
“He put on some weight,” Gannon said, via AZSports' Tyler Drake. “He's a little more physical running routes. He's not getting knocked around at the line of scrimmage. Just the physical thing jumps out to me. He's done a good job and playing three different spots.”
Weaver making noise early on impacts Jones more than any other player on the Cardinals' 2025 offseason roster. The former undrafted free agent played just 57 snaps in 2024 and failed to haul in either of his two targets. His current momentum gives him a great chance to make the final cut, which typically comes at the expense of a veteran like Jones.
DT Bilal Nichols
The Cardinals did not have much flexibility in free agency, but spent most of their money on their defensive line. Sweat's $76.4 million deal was the biggest move, but Arizona also brought in Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell.
Sweat and Tomlinson both slot in as starters, along with Nolen. Arizona additionally gets B.J. Ojulari back in the rotation after he missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL. The complete overhaul replaces the Cardinals' 2024 defensive line that ranked 25th in opponent yards per rush, 20th in rushing yards allowed and 15th in sacks.
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The additions push all the Cardinals' returning defensive linemen down a peg. Zaven Collins figures to remain in the starting lineup, but Dante Stills and L.J. Collier will likely revert to the bench. The domino effect knocks eight-year veteran Bilal Nichols from key rotational piece to praying for a roster spot.
Nichols, a former starter with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders, played just six games in 2024. He rotated in behind Stills and Roy Lopez, playing over 50 percent of the defensive snaps just twice before suffering a season-ending neck injury. He returns to an entirely new position group in 2025 and is arguably the Cardinals' fifth-best interior lineman.
Coming out of minicamp, the Cardinals were impressed with what they saw from Nolen and Tomlinson in the starting lineup. Linemen are difficult to gauge without pads, but the unit practiced cohesively, giving Gannon reason to be optimistic.
Given how poorly Arizona's defensive front was in 2024, there is no reason the front office should want anyone back. Nichols is, unfortunately, a victim of a poorly timed injury, but he is a complete afterthought in the depth of the updated roster.
CB Kei'Trel Clark
Secondary was a significant issue for the Cardinals in 2024. Arizona's defense allowed the fourth-highest completion percentage and the 11th-most yards per pass. The situation gets more interesting in 2025, as they add former college stars Johnson and Denzel Burke, but lose top cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting for the year.
Concerns about Johnson's leg injuries pushed him to the second round, but he is a bona fide first-round talent. Many viewed Johnson as the best overall cornerback of the class and a potential top-10 pick before his durability issues arose. If his health allows, Johnson should immediately step into the starting lineup opposite Starling Thomas V.
Johnson might take time to develop, but he has elite potential. He fills a massive void opened up by Murphy-Bunting's injury. Before they drafted Johnson, the Cardinals were dead in the water, with Kei'Trel Clark and Max Melton the only depth options behind Thomas.
Clark, a former starter, is not yet on the roster bubble, but is in danger of falling into that territory. Despite Johnson being limited in minicamp, the Cardinals still view him as their Week 1 starter. However, Johnson's injury did open up additional opportunities, which were given to Burke and Melton over Clark.
While Clark is preparing for just his third season, he is already in an undesirable position. The Cardinals' 2025 secondary is deeper than it was a year ago, even without Murphy-Bunting. Clark will likely stick around as an experienced depth piece, but he should not feel safe in his current landscape.
