Arizona Cardinals fans are not exactly sold on Monti Ossenfort’s draft record.
That’s the takeaway from a recent SB Nation Reacts survey that asked the most plugged-in Cardinals fans, along with fans around the NFL, to grade Ossenfort’s work since taking over. The results came back underwhelming, and that may be putting it kindly.
The timing isn’t helping the mood, either. Happy Labor Day one and all, with the NFL set to kick off this Wednesday and the season about to get rolling. Even so, the Cardinals are still drawing some of the bleakest expectations in the league, both for the season and for Week 1.
Arizona heads into its matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers as a +9.5 underdog. The Cardinals also carry the worst playoff odds in the NFL at +2000, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
That skepticism points back to the roster-building itself, and more specifically to the draft. If you don’t draft well, it’s hard to win, and the Cardinals’ recent track record has done little to change that view. When that’s paired with what the source describes as some of the worst free agent classes over the past three seasons, the result is a general manager with 15 wins in three seasons.
There is still a chance for things to shift this year, but the outlook doesn’t get much easier from here. The 2026 draft class will be missing two of its top four picks for the entire season, which only adds another layer of uncertainty to what comes next.
In Other News...
Cardinals Camp Battles Ended With A Few Week 1 Surprises
Arizonas roster is set, and with it came a few camp decisions that reshaped the way this team will look in Week 1. Bam Knight earned a place in the running back mix, while the Cardinals also chose to keep seven wide receivers, a group that includes Jalen Brooks and Simi Fehoko. Those kinds of depth-chart calls usually settle the room by the time the regular season arrives, but in this case they also showed how closely the staff weighed the final few spots.
The biggest wrinkle came on defense, where D.J. Taylor-Demerson did not hold onto the starting safety job after Jordan Poyer arrived as a free agent. The Cardinals also sound willing to stay flexible at linebacker and in the secondary, using those groups based on matchups and game plans rather than locking into one static look. That kind of week-to-week approach can help a defense stay adaptable, but it also means the first few games could tell us a lot about how settled these new roles really are. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Opener Suddenly Rests On One Huge Rookie Question
The Cardinals have spent the early part of camp trying to figure out how to steady the offense around Jeremiyah Love, and the bigger concern now is simply whether their third overall pick will be available when the games start to count. Love has been sidelined since suffering a high ankle sprain in preseason, and while he has not played since, head coach Mike LaFleur said there has been reason for optimism after seeing the rookie moving around in practice.
Arizona still has to wait for the official injury report on Wednesday, and the opener against the Los Angeles Chargers may come down to the wire. Love is shaping up as a game-time decision, which leaves the Cardinals balancing patience with urgency as they keep one eye on the long view and another on how much they can realistically ask from a rookie who has missed so much recent work. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Season May Come Down To A Few Risky Roster Bets
The Cardinals head into the regular season with a handful of roster choices that could end up carrying far more weight than they look like on paper. Under head coach Mike LaFleur, the team has tried to add flexibility on offense by bringing in versatile running back Love, while also keeping an eye on a quarterback room that still has questions because rookie Becks availability remains unsettled by injuries.
There is also the broader issue of whether enough was done to steady the other side of the ball. Arizonas pass rush still looks like a concern after limited improvement, and the offensive line has its own pressure points on the right side, where Elijah Wilkinson is trying to rebound from a rough year. For a team trying to build toward 2026, those are the kinds of bets that can quietly decide how far the season goes. [Read more 🡒]