The Arizona Cardinals’ final 53-man roster says plenty about where this front office wants to go, even if the on-field results won’t be known for a while.
Mike LaFleur and Monti Ossenfort came out of a difficult weekend of cuts and evaluations with a roster that leans younger, faster and, in a few spots, a little unusual. The message is pretty clear: Arizona is willing to move on from experienced players if the younger option looks like a better fit for what the team wants to become.
That showed up in the names the Cardinals let go. Veterans such as Sean Murphy-Bunting and Oli Udoh were among the players bypassed, part of a broader willingness to choose youth and athleticism over familiarity.
For a first-year head coach, that’s not always the easy path. Yet Arizona cut 12 players with four years or more of experience, a strong sign the team trusts its younger group.
That trust was reinforced by the rookie haul. Every healthy Cardinals rookie made the final roster, and the two players on injured reserve, Kaleb Proctor and Chase Bisontis, would have made it as well. In all, 31 of the 53 players were drafted since Ossenfort took over, a number that underscores how heavily this roster has been built through the draft.
It also points to confidence in both the scouting operation and LaFleur’s staff. Arizona clearly believes it can identify talent and develop it once those players arrive.
Special teams also played a bigger role in the roster math than usual. The Cardinals’ third phase was a problem last season, and that led to the departure of coordinator Jeff Rodgers. Michael Ghobrial now has the job of getting that unit back on track, and the roster reflects how seriously Arizona treated that area.
That’s part of why the Cardinals kept seven receivers, including Jalen Brooks, Simi Fehoko and Devin Duvernay. Those three lower-tier wideouts are expected to matter on special teams, especially on fourth down.
"A lot of those competitions weren't necessarily against those guys [in the same position]. It was against other groups, and we thought that Jalen, Simi, some of those guys, obviously Duvernay is a returner, they provide in special teams at a high clip," LaFleur said.
Still, the roster doesn’t fully line up with some of the offensive expectations around the team. Arizona has been projected to lean into 12 and 13 personnel, with heavy tight end usage and a run-first approach in 2026. But carrying seven receivers, three tight ends and three running backs doesn’t exactly scream heavy sets every week.
The tension is easy to spot. The Cardinals are thin at two positions that matter most for those formations, while seven receivers fits more naturally with 11 personnel. Arizona was one of only about five teams to open the season with seven receivers, and among that group the Cardinals used 11 personnel the least last year while leaning most heavily on multiple tight end sets.
That said, there’s context here. The Cardinals had a different head coach and offensive coordinator last season, so last year’s usage doesn’t tell the whole story.
LaFleur’s time with the Rams is at least a clue, though. Los Angeles led the league with 31% usage of 13 personnel under him.
The early part of this season should offer the first real look at how Arizona wants to deploy its offense, especially while James Conner and Tip Reiman are on injured reserve and working back toward health. Their returns could change the look of those position groups quickly. For now, though, the roster gives a strong hint that the Cardinals are building with youth, special teams value and future flexibility in mind.
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For a team trying to balance proven names against younger, cheaper options, the decisions were especially noticeable at linebacker and in the secondary. Azeez Ojulari and Marcus Murphy-Bunting were among the veterans released, while Keaontay Ingram and sixth-round rookie inside linebacker Sharar made the initial team, underscoring how much the Cardinals valued preseason performance and roster flexibility. [Read more 🡒]