Andrew Buller-Russ
After a 3-14 season and missing the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, the Arizona Cardinals hit the reset button this offseason. Jonathan Gannon was fired, and the Cardinals reached from inside the division to hire Mike LaFleur away from the Los Angeles Rams. LaFleur, an offensive-minded coach, will move forward with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback and potential superstar running back Jeremiyah Love. They’ll complement existing standouts such as All-Pro tight end Trey McBride and former No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr.
Defensively? As noted, the Cardinals moved on from Gannon, who was a defensive-minded head coach. Yet, this was also a unit that ranked 29th in points allowed in 2025. In other words, maybe change in this case, is a good thing. Though they did retain the same defensive coordinator from a year ago, Nick Rallis, who’s viewed as a rising star in the coaching industry.
In fact, maintaining some coaching continuity could help an existing group with potential begin to thrive. At least, that’s what some observers have seen thus far.
Cardinals Cornerbacks Stepping Up Ahead of 2026 Season
Recently, Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer took a look at some positive developments from a handful of teams’ mandatory minicamps. While the Cardinals may not be a team receiving much fanfare this offseason, Breer made it a point to highlight them here.
Specifically, Breer suggested that the Cardinals’ cornerback group could become one of the team’s “strengths” moving forward. He named Max Melton, Will Johnson, and Denzel Burke as players who all impressed during the franchise’s organized team activities.
“The Cardinals will need the young talent they’ve accumulated over the past four drafts to level up, and the spring showed that starting to happen at corner. Max Melton always had the physical ability and drive, and he has pushed himself to another level over the past couple of months. Will Johnson looked instinctive and confident coming back for Year 2. And Denzel Burke, who’s always been scrappy and tough, showed that same sort of feel and assuredness through OTAs. It’s certainly good to see a premium position like corner trending toward becoming a team strength.”
SI’s Albert Breer
The Cardinals invested second-round picks in Melton and Johnson, then a fifth-round pick in Burke last year. They clearly expect a lot out of their cornerback group, and now the youngsters are apparently starting to realize their potential. Who knows? If Arizona’s cornerback trio can maintain the standard set in OTAs, perhaps this group really could become a “team strength” as Breer alluded to.
Arizona also has Garrett Williams, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Starling Thomas to help form what could become one of the deeper cornerback groups in the league. Or, maybe they don’t live up to their potential, but it’s up to the Cardinals’ coaching staff to help them get there.
Related: Top NFL Free Agents Remaining: One Player Each Team Should Sign
