ARIZONA - The Arizona Cardinals are trying to turn the page in 2026, and the obvious names will drive most of the conversation. Trey McBride and Budda Baker are going to be front and center, as they should be.
But if the Cardinals are going to climb out of a three-win season and push higher, they’ll need more than the headline acts. They’ll need a handful of players who may not dominate the spotlight but could end up shaping the season in a major way.
One of them is Tip Reiman, and his value starts where the Cardinals want to live again: on the ground. Arizona is expected to lean back into the run game with heavy tight end packages, and Reiman is the team’s best in-line blocker.
That makes him a key piece of what the offense wants to become. If the Cardinals get the run game rolling, a lot of the rest can follow, and Reiman can help clear that path in more ways than one.
On the other side of the ball, Elijah Jones has a chance to matter in a very real way for a cornerback group that should be highly competitive when everyone is healthy. Jones was set to start in 2025 before his ACL injury in training camp, and now he gives Arizona another important option. With Will Johnson and Garrett Williams already part of the mix, Jones’ healthy return adds depth and competition to a secondary that needs to take a step forward.
The pass rush also has a player worth watching in Darius Burch. Arizona’s outside linebacker room has Josh Sweat and not a lot of proven production beyond him.
Baron Browning is more of a rotational rusher, Zaven Collins is strongest against the run and BJ Ojulari is still working his way back from his knee injury. That leaves Burch in the spotlight after an impressive rookie preseason that didn’t turn into much afterward.
A second-year jump from him could lift the floor of the pass rush and give the Cardinals another threat opposite Sweat.
Then there’s Simi Fehoko, who could become the kind of underneath option that quietly keeps an offense moving. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson will draw the biggest attention, but every passing game needs someone who can work the middle, make plays when the primary options are covered and move the chains. Fehoko has shown that kind of ability before, and it could make him a more useful piece than the slot receivers Arizona has used in the past, Zay Jones and Greg Dortch.
Special teams could also get a boost from Devin Duvernay, even if his offensive role stays limited. The Cardinals brought him in to be a return ace, and that’s an area where they’ve been missing something in recent years.
He’s not Devin Hester, but he has built a solid reputation as a return man around the league. Field position matters, and Duvernay’s impact could wind up being bigger than many fans realize.
Up front, L.J. Collier may be the most established name on this list, but he still seems to fly under the radar.
He has been a steady presence on a defensive line that has lacked much of that consistency in recent years. He doesn’t carry the upside of Walter Nolen III or the first-round pedigree of Darius Robinson, but he’s the kind of glue player who helps stabilize the trenches.
If the pieces around him stay healthy and perform, Collier can help raise the floor of the entire room.
In Other News...
Cardinals Fans Clearly Believe One Young Pass Rusher Is Ready
With Josh Sweat assumed to be healthy and on the roster, Cardinals fans were asked a simple question about the rest of the pass rush: who finishes second on the team in sacks? The answer came back loud and clear, with Walter Nolen drawing half the vote and separating himself from the pack as the name supporters most want to see turn promise into production.
The optimism is easy to understand because the bar is high enough to make the conversation interesting. Arizona is hoping someone from that young group can get close to Calais Campbells 6.5-sack mark for the team, which would require a real leap from where these pass rushers have been before and a better collective showing than they managed a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Face An Uncomfortable Question About A Franchise Veteran
As the Cardinals head toward the 2026 season and training camp, one of the more uncomfortable conversations in the building may center on Budda Baker. The veteran safety has been one of the franchises most reliable players for years, piling up tackles and earning a long run of Pro Bowl recognition, yet the kind of production that once made him untouchable now has to be weighed against age, contract value and a roster that is still trying to find its footing.
For a team that could be looking at every avenue to create flexibility, Bakers name is hard to ignore. Arizona already has some alternative answers at safety, which only adds to the tension around a player who has been part of the teams identity for so long, and the possibility of moving him would be about more than football. It would signal a willingness to treat a franchise veteran as a resource in a rebuilding year, even if no one is saying that decision is anywhere close to final. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Camp Health Report Could Change Everything For This Season
The Cardinals are heading into training camp with a health picture that looks better in some spots than it did a few weeks ago, and that matters for a roster trying to sort out its identity early. Head coach Mike LaFleur said former first-round pick Nolen is trending toward being ready after offseason meniscus surgery, while slot corner Williams is also moving in the right direction as camp approaches. Tight end Tip Reiman, meanwhile, is expected to be ready to go after dealing with a right ankle injury.
There is still a real catch to the optimism, though, because not every injury update has gone the same way. Rookie Kaleb Proctor is dealing with a meniscus tear and is facing a much longer absence, which leaves the Cardinals balancing one set of encouraging returns against a setback that could reshape how they manage the early part of camp and beyond. [Read more 🡒]