Trey McBride is the lone Arizona Cardinals player on CBS Sports’ version of the NFL’s top 100, landing at No. 18. Beyond that, the more revealing question is what the Cardinals will run into all season long when they take the field in 2026.
Pete Prisco’s list gives a clean snapshot of the talent waiting on Arizona’s schedule, week by week, and some of those matchups are loaded. The Cardinals open on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, where they’ll see S Derwin James at No.
50, QB Justin Herbert at No. 63 and OT Rayshawn Slater at No. 97.
A pair of NFC West games against the Seattle Seahawks comes with a much deeper talent pool. Seattle placed six players in the top 100: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No.
13, CB Devon Witherspoon at No. 24, DE Leonard Williams at No.
59, QB San Darnold at No. 72, DL Byron Murphy II at No. 81 and S Nick Emmanwori at No.
The San Francisco 49ers also show up twice on Arizona’s slate, in Week 3 and Week 18, and they bring six names with them. LB Fred Warner is No.
16, RB Christian McCaffrey No. 19 and OT Trent Williams No. 25, with TE George Kittle at No. 49, QB Brock Purdy at No. 75 and DE Nick Bosa at No.
There are plenty of other heavy hitters scattered through the schedule. The Detroit Lions have six players on the list, led by OL Penei Sewell at No. 6 and DE Aidan Hutchinson at No.
- The Los Angeles Rams, whom Arizona sees in Week 6 and Week 10, have five top-100 players, including the top two spots on Prisco’s list: DE Myles Garrett at No. 1 and QB Matthew Stafford at No. 2, plus WR Puka Nacua at No.
The Denver Broncos come in with six players of their own for Week 7, headlined by CB Pat Surtain II at No. 11.
The Dallas Cowboys bring four in Week 8, including QB Dak Prescott at No. 43 and WR CeeDee Lamb at No. 60.
Kansas City shows up in Week 11 with three, and naturally Patrick Mahomes is the centerpiece at No. 7.
Washington has only two players on the list for Week 12, while Philadelphia’s Week 13 group is the biggest Arizona will see all season. The Eagles have eight players in the top 100, with OT Jordan Mailata at No.
30, CB Quinyon Mitchell at No. 36, OT Lane Johnson at No. 41 and RB Saquon Barkley at No. 47 among the standouts.
Not every opponent is packed with elite names. The New York Jets have zero players in the top 100 for Week 15.
The New Orleans Saints, like Arizona, have just one: WR Chris Olave at No. 71.
The Raiders, who were last year’s worst team, still land three players on the list for Week 17, led by TE Brock Bowers at No. 27 and EDGE Maxx Crosby at No. 35.
The Giants, despite their struggles last season, have four players in the top 100 for Week 4, including LB Brian Burns at No. 56 and WR Malik Nabers at No. 99.
For the Cardinals, the schedule is lined with star power almost every month. And McBride’s No. 18 ranking is the only Arizona name on Prisco’s board.
In Other News...
Cardinals Road Trip Sparked A Brides Wild Last Minute Plea
A New Jersey bride-to-be ran into an unexpected snag when she learned the presidential suite at her local hotel had been set aside for the visiting NFL team during her wedding weekend. Olivia Coppeletti, trying to solve the problem quickly, reached out to the Cardinals in a last-minute email and even sent it to coach Mike LaFleur, assuming he would be the one using the room.
What followed turned the logistical headache into a feel-good footnote for the franchise. Michael Bidwill personally got involved after seeing the request, and the situation shifted from a simple hotel dispute into a reminder that sometimes an NFL road trip can touch much more than the game itself. For a bride trying to keep her weekend on track, the answer from Arizona came fast enough to keep the story moving in a direction she probably never expected. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Bigger Quarterback Problem Than Expected
Arizonas quarterback picture has gotten more complicated this spring, and not because of the usual rookie-learning-curve noise. Carson Beck, a 2026 third-round pick, has been getting extra chances in the wake of Jacoby Brissetts absence from much of the voluntary offseason program, and the early reviews have been encouraging enough to create some real conversation inside the building. For a team trying to stabilize the position, even a little positive buzz around a young passer can matter.
Becks spring showing could end up carrying more weight than a typical offseason storyline, because the Cardinals have to think beyond September. If the rookie keeps trending up, it could affect how Arizona approaches the quarterback room this season and even shape how aggressively the team looks at the position in the 2027 draft cycle. For now, the bigger question is whether the Cardinals are simply gathering information or quietly moving toward a much bigger decision. [Read more 🡒]
Trey McBride Made One Honest Admission Cardinals Fans Will Feel
Trey McBrides recent podcast appearance offered a pretty blunt reminder of what the Cardinals are dealing with off the field in Arizona. The tight end talked about the fan base in a way that will sound familiar to anyone who has spent time around the team, pointing out that the states population is built heavily on transplants and that plenty of residents arrive with loyalty already attached to other NFL teams.
McBride also shifted to one of the leagues tougher road environments, describing Seattle as a place where the Seahawks defense and home-field edge make life difficult. For Arizona, that matters because the Cardinals are set to see the Seahawks twice this season, and those matchups always carry a little extra weight when a division rival has had the upper hand lately. [Read more 🡒]