The Arizona Cardinals are in training camp, the new offense is getting plenty of attention, and the roster still has a long way to go before anyone can really judge what this thing will look like. That was already clear. The latest preseason rankings from The Athletic only drove it home harder.
Josh Kendall’s 2026 NFL rankings put the Cardinals at No. 30, ahead of only a few teams and behind the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Football Giants, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans. His list arrived with training camps open around the league and the Hall of Fame Game coming next week.
At the top of Kendall’s rankings sat the Los Angeles Rams at No. 1, a team he sees as loaded for another run. He pointed to the Rams’ trade for EDGE rusher Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, along with the possibility that DT Aaron Donald could come out of retirement.
Kendall also noted the addition of two new cornerbacks and wrote, “And maybe Aaron Donald? The Rams traded for the best defensive end in the league, and there has been summer scuttlebutt that they could coax one of the best defensive tackles of the last 20 years out of retirement.
They also added two new - and pricey - cornerbacks. Unless this wide receiver corps collapses under the weight of age and extracurricular activities, Los Angeles has everything it needs for another Super Bowl run.”
The Seattle Seahawks landed at No. 5.
Kendall’s ranking came with a reminder that the group is dealing with offseason losses, including running back Kenneth Walker, outside linebacker Boye Mafe and defensive backs Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen, even after the team’s ownership change. He wrote, “A group led by the family of Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla just bought the reigning Super Bowl champions.
All the other offseason news is about losses as running back Kenneth Walker, outside linebacker Boye Mafe and defensive backs Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen are all gone via free agency. A repeat is not going to be easy.”
The San Francisco 49ers checked in at No. 7, which still keeps them firmly in the upper tier of the league. Kendall noted the departures of Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne, plus the uncertainty around Brandon Aiyuk, but also highlighted additions Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling.
He wrote, “Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne are gone, and Brandon Aiyuk is in (maybe permanent?) limbo.
But Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and surprise second-round draft pick De’Zhaun Stribling are Niners now. As long as star running back Christian McCaffrey stays healthy, the receivers won’t be the focal point of the offense anyway.
But it’s worth noting McCaffrey tallied a career-high 413 regular-season touches last year, along with 37 more in the playoffs.”
Arizona’s placement, though, was the one that stood out for the wrong reason. Kendall’s explanation was brief, and it centered on Kyler Murray and the organization’s long search for traction.
He wrote, “Arizona and Murray tried to make it work. The No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft spent seven years wandering the desert, while the Cardinals managed to put together one winning season and no playoff wins.
Now it’s Jacoby Brissett and what should be a full commitment to a rebuild under new head coach Mike LaFleur.”
That left plenty unsaid about the Cardinals’ offseason changes, including the best running back in the draft, the overhaul of three of the five offensive line spots, Trey McBride’s case as the league’s top tight end, Michael Wilson’s chance to break out, and whether Marv Harrison can turn a big season into fireworks for this offense. But in Kendall’s rankings, Arizona’s starting point is clear: the bottom half of the league, with only one place to go from there.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Defensive Depth Issue In Camp
Training camp has already started to test the Cardinals defensive depth, and the latest roster moves make that clearer. Arizona placed cornerback Jaden Davis and defensive lineman PJ Mustipher on injured reserve, then moved quickly to bring in defensive lineman Brodric Martin and cornerback Quinton Newsome to help patch the holes. The new additions arrive at a time when every practice rep matters, especially for players trying to establish themselves at the back end of the roster.
The concern is not just the churn of camp bodies, but how quickly the group has been thinned out. Mustiphers exit is the tougher one to absorb because he had been part of the mix up front, and recent injuries during practice have only added to the uncertainty around the defense. Arizona still has time to sort through it, but the early stretch of camp is already forcing the Cardinals to lean on depth they may not have expected to use this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Cornerback Depth Is Already Facing An Early Camp Test
The Cardinals cornerback room took an early hit in camp, with Jaden Davis landing on injured reserve and leaving the team to adjust on the fly. Davis had to be removed from practice after leaving with a limp, and the move puts his season on hold unless an injury settlement is reached down the line. For a secondary that needed every healthy body it could get, the timing is hardly ideal.
Arizona moved quickly to add Quinton Newsome, bringing in the former Houston Gamblers and Denver Broncos defensive back to help cover the vacancy. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can happen fast once training camp injuries start piling up, and it leaves the Cardinals watching not just the cornerback depth chart but any other additions that might follow as the front office tries to keep the defense stocked. [Read more 🡒]