Arizona Cardinals fans are leaning into the same familiar currency again: hope.
That showed up clearly in a recent survey asking who would finish second on the team in sacks, with the assumption that Josh Sweat would be on the roster and healthy for the full season. Walter Nolen ran away with it, collecting 50% of the vote.
B.J. Ojulari followed at 21%, while second-year pass rusher Jordan Burch picked up 14%.
The question itself may not sound like a headline-maker, but it points to a bigger expectation for a Cardinals defense looking for someone to step forward behind Sweat. If the team is going to replace Calais Campbell’s 6.5 sacks, that would require one of those three to post more sacks in a season than any of them has ever had before. It would also mean one of them would top the combined sack total the trio produced last season.
That’s where the optimism lives for Cardinals fans right now. Budda Baker and Trey McBride have been the rare constants since the Bruce Arians era ended almost a decade ago, but beyond that, the fan base keeps coming back to the same place: waiting for someone new to become that guy.
And if the second-highest sack total on the team ends up being four or fewer, then the whole exercise probably won’t matter much. But if one of Nolen, Ojulari, or Burch makes that leap, it would be the kind of development Cardinals fans have been hoping to see.
In Other News...
Cardinals Fans Will Love This Madden 27 Recognition Twist
Madden 27 is rolling out its top ratings with only a small group of players landing in the games 99 Club, and the list says plenty about who the league viewed as truly dominant last season. Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Myles Garrett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ja'Marr Chase all made the cut, with the selection reflecting the kind of year that can push a player into the games highest tier.
For Arizona fans, the most interesting part is how the recognition lands on the Cardinals side of the ledger. The franchise has been waiting for more national shine around its core talent, and this kind of nod from Madden tends to travel well because it puts a player in a very exclusive conversation before the season even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Avoided Three Franchise Mistakes Fans Still Can't Stop Debating
The Cardinals spent the offseason making the kind of sweeping changes that tend to linger in the fanbase long after the calendar turns. Moving on from Kyler Murray and then exploring other quarterback paths signaled a reset at the games most important position, while the front office also stayed true to its broader draft philosophy when it came time to make a major choice in April.
Arizonas decision to use its high first-round selection on Jeremiyah Love only sharpened the debate, because it fit the general managers best-player-available mindset even as plenty of observers wondered whether the roster needed help elsewhere more urgently. For a team trying to turn the page, the bigger question now is whether those choices will look decisive and disciplined, or like the kind of moves Cardinals fans spend years arguing about. [Read more 🡒]
Trey McBride Is Finally Getting The Respect Cardinals Fans Demanded
Trey McBride spent last season making it harder for anyone to keep treating him like just another productive tight end, and the outside recognition is finally catching up. Pro Football Network put him at the top of its recent rankings, while ESPN slotted him second among NFL tight ends, a fitting reflection of a player who led the position in receptions and receiving yards and tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns.
For the Cardinals, the encouraging part is that McBride does not sound finished sharpening his game. Under new head coach Mike LaFleur, he has pointed to his blocking as an area he wants to improve, with an emphasis on the run game and doing more work in the trenches. If he keeps growing there, Arizonas offense could get even more out of one of its most reliable weapons. [Read more 🡒]