The Arizona Cardinals enter 2026 with little margin for optimism, at least according to the oddsmakers. Their win total is sitting at 3.5, and while the over is slightly favored, that number tells the real story: expectations remain painfully low.
That’s been the Cardinals’ reality for most of the past decade. Since 2015, they’ve reached the playoffs only once, and that trip ended with a Wild Card loss to the Rams in the 2021 season. The results since then have been rough, with Arizona going 19-49 overall, including a 3-14 finish last season.
There are a few reasons for hope on offense. Arizona has spent recent drafts loading up at skill positions, selecting wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall in 2024 and running back Jeremiyah Love third overall this year. Trey McBride is also coming off a major breakout, after posting more than 1,200 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
Still, the roster has obvious issues. The Cardinals need more help in the trenches, and Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II bring experience, but neither is the kind of quarterback who changes the direction of a franchise.
And even if Arizona can scrape together a few wins, the path forward in the NFC West remains brutal. The Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are all in the same division, leaving the Cardinals with an uphill climb before the season even begins.
So while the betting market gives Arizona a tiny nudge toward the over, the number itself makes clear how steep the challenge is. A 3.5-win projection is a long way from respectability.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Made A Quiet Move Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Cardinals have taken care of one of the steadiest parts of their roster, agreeing to a two-year, $20 million extension with center Hjalte Froholdt. The deal keeps him in Arizona through the 2028 season and locks in a player who has quietly become a core piece of the offensive line since arriving in the desert.
Froholdt has started all 17 games in each of his three seasons with the Cardinals, giving the unit the kind of consistency teams spend all offseason trying to find. For an offense that wants stability up front, this is the sort of move that matters just as much as a splashy headline, because it keeps the middle of the line intact while the rest of the roster keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Trey Benson Problem With No Easy Fix
Trey Bensons situation took an especially uncomfortable turn for the Cardinals this week, with the second-year running back waived with an injury designation before clearing waivers and landing right back on Arizonas injured reserve list. It was a procedural move, but one that underscored just how little flexibility the team has as it tries to manage a young back whose health has become part of the roster conversation.
Mike LaFleur confirmed Bensons injury status and the clubs cautious approach to his recovery, and for now the outlook is straightforward but not encouraging. Unless the Cardinals reach an injury settlement that opens the door for him to play elsewhere, Benson is headed toward missing the entire 2026 season in Arizona, leaving the team to sort out both the short-term depth chart and the longer-term value of a player it had hoped to keep developing. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals O-Line Depth Suddenly Feels Like A Bigger Week 1 Risk
The Cardinals offensive line picture took a hit in the preseason when Chase Bisontis went down with a torn MCL, and the setback lands with extra weight because the team has not brought in any new linemen since. For now, Arizona is leaning on the depth already in place, with Isaiah Adams, Matt Pryor, Oli Udoh and Hayden Conner all part of the next-man-up conversation as the roster edges toward Week 1.
After final cuts and the waiver process, the Cardinals could still look for another backup option, but nothing official has been done yet. That leaves the group in a wait-and-see spot at a time when line health is always one of the easiest places for a season to start feeling thin. [Read more 🡒]