Pro Football Talk didn’t leave much room for the Arizona Cardinals to feel respected heading into Week 1. In its latest NFL power rankings, Arizona landed all the way at No. 32, dead last on the list.
That kind of placement sends a pretty blunt message about the national view of the Cardinals and what they might be able to do in the 2026 season. It also gives the locker room plenty to latch onto.
Rankings in early September don’t decide anything, and NFL seasons have a way of blowing up preseason assumptions fast. Teams change, injuries change the picture, and matchups can make a so-called bottom team look a lot different than the outsiders expect.
Pro Football Talk’s own post on X made the point in its own way: “Week 1 power rankings. Now tell me how stupid I am. pic.twitter.com/GqDkldEzHc”
The Cardinals are not just being projected to lose; they are being treated as the least competitive team in the league before they’ve even played a meaningful snap. In this ranking, the Browns are seen as having a better shot to beat Jacksonville than Arizona does to beat the Chargers.
That gives Week 1 a very clear test. If the Cardinals can knock off the Chargers, they can immediately shove back against the idea that they belong at the very bottom. And for a team that has spent months hearing what it cannot do, that first game offers a chance to start changing the conversation one result at a time.
In Other News...
Cardinals Depth Chart Sends An Early Message About A Former First-Round Pick
The first depth chart of the season offered an early snapshot of where the Cardinals stand heading into the week, and one of the clearer messages came at defensive line. Dante Stills is listed ahead of former first-round pick Zachary Robinson, a sign that Arizona is sorting out its rotation with the opener approaching and rewarding the players who have earned the first crack at snaps. Elsewhere, cornerback Christian Williams has made it back from his Achilles injury earlier than expected, though he is listed behind other defensive backs as the team manages his return.
There is also some movement at linebacker, where Gibbens and Simon are expected to play and Simon is the starter for this week. Outside linebacker features the lone "or" on the card, with Zaven Collins and Baron Browning sharing the spot for now, which leaves a little room for the picture to settle as the week unfolds. For a roster still taking shape, the initial chart does not settle every question, but it does make one thing clear: a few jobs are already becoming harder to claim. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Captain Choices Just Revealed A New Locker Room Reality
The Cardinals have settled on their leadership group for the 2026 regular season, with the players voting Jacoby Brissett, Hjalte Froholdt, Mack Wilson, Budda Baker and Casey Kreiter into captain roles. It is the kind of announcement that says as much about the locker room as it does about the roster, since captain votes tend to reflect who teammates trust when the pace picks up and the season starts to tighten.
Head coach Mike LaFleur pointed to the leadership qualities of the group, and the mix itself is notable for what it suggests about the room around him. There is established presence, there is line-to-line responsibility, and there is a veteran core that has clearly earned the respect of the team, even as the Cardinals keep building toward what they want this season to become. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Backfield Plan Just Put Jeremiyah Love In A Tough Spot
The Cardinals unofficial Week 1 depth chart offered an early glimpse at how the backfield could open the 2026 season, and it was not the cleanest path for first-round pick Jeremiyah Love. Arizona listed Tyler Allgeier as the starting running back, with Love slotted behind him as the second back, a setup that suggests the team is prepared to lean on Allgeier right away or split the job in a committee.
For Love, its a reminder that draft status alone does not guarantee an immediate lead role, especially in a backfield that already has a proven veteran in place. His placement leaves open the bigger question heading into Week 1: whether hell be active at all, and if so, how quickly he can force his way into a larger workload. [Read more 🡒]