Arizona cardinals could be on the verge of something very interesting. They come out of a Rollercoaster 2024 campaign which saw their attack emerge as one of the most dynamic units of the league while the defense fought powerfully. Now the Front Office has made significant investments during the offseason to restore balance. However, for each big swing that connects, there is often one that does not. In the case of Arizona, their most risky move in the off -season of the 2025 NFL did not arrive at a star defensive line player. This failure could eventually make all the difference if this team contains or continues to walk on the water in a brutal NFC West.
Summary of off -season 2025
The 2024 season was the story on two sides of the ball for the cardinals. On the one hand, they aligned an elite offensive unit. He ranked near the summit in many offensive measures thanks to the continuous growth of Kyler Murray. We have also seen the explosive emergence of Wideout Marvin Harrison Jr and a cohesive floor game. On the other hand, the defense of the cardinals ended near the bottom in many other defensive measures. It is a shocking gap for a team led by Jonathan Gannon, known for his defensive sense.
This offseason, the Arizona Front Office gave a clear priority to respond to defensive gaps. The most splashing movement came with the signing of the Rusher Edge Josh Sweat. 8.0 bags recorded And a pressure rate of 14.1% with the Philadelphia Eagles last season. He will be responsible for revitalizing a rush down of the cardinals pass which was the bottom of the end.
The defensive line has been further reinforced by two key additions. We saw the return of the favorite of the Calais Campbell franchise and the signature of the faithful interior Dalvin Tomlinson. The cardinals were not made. In the draft of NFL 2025, they took a risk calculated on the corner half of Michigan, Will Johnson. He was probably the best player in his position before the injuries touch his stock. They also won the promising defensive tackle Walter Nolen III in the first round. Nolen benefits from Campbell and Tomlinson mentoring as he develops.
Of course, most of the accent was on defense. However, a persistent concern in attack is the interior offensive line. The cardinals have made a minimum there, potentially playing on internal development or while waiting for the next offseason. That said, the real risk came elsewhere.
Here, we will try to look at the most risky movement that the Arizona cardinals executed during the offseason of the NFL 2025.
The one that got away
The cardinals checked many boxes defensively, but they missed the greatest. Arizona was firmly in the mixture of the Milton Williams versatile defensive defensive line player. Unfortunately, he signed with the New England Patriots on a contract worth more than $ 26 million a year. Losing on Williams was not only a blow for the Arizona defensive upgrade strategy. It was a missed chance of building a formidable defensive front and modifying the game.
Williams was no stranger to Gannon, of course. Williams played under him when Gannon was the defensive coordinator of the Eagles in 2021 and 2022. This familiarity made cardinals a natural landing point. According to all the accounts, they pushed hard to secure its services. However, when the auction war has intensified, New England exceeded them financially and structurally. They just offered Williams a program and a contract that he could not refuse.
Why is it important? Because a trio of Josh Sweat, Walter Nolen and Milton Williams would have transformed the defensive line of the Arizona of Mediocre to Dominant. With the versatility of Williams and the chops proven passing, the cardinals would have aligned one of the seven before the most dynamic and flexible NFC. Instead, there is still a ceiling on how this unit can be a disruptive.
The article continues below
High issues in a powerful division
Remember that Arizona’s margin of error is slim like a razor. The NFC West continues to be an area of war with the 49ers still affirmed, the Rams revitalizing under the magic of Mcvay and the Seahawks which advance under a new leadership. In this environment, some keys or bag pressures can swing an entire season.
If Arizona had landed Williams, they would have entered the season with a front capable of collapsing from the pockets. They could have regularly closed the race and bail out a secondary with many question points. Instead, the burden is now disproportionately falls on sweat, Tomlinson and a gross Nolen – who may not be ready to carry.
Yes, no one can blame the director general Monti Ossenfort for having been prudence budgetary. That said, it is just to wonder if the cardinals should have gone everything to bring Gannon together with a player whom he already knew how to maximize. The windows in the playoffs do not often open in the desert. When they do, you have to be bold enough to climb.
Calculated risk or missed championship catalyst?
Only time will tell us if the fact of not winning Milton Williams was a prudent financial decision or a missed opportunity which defines the 2025 season. We recognize that the cardinals have done a lot. They met flagrant needs, added talents upwards and strengthened the identity of Gannon as a defensive leader. On the other hand, it is a league where the difference between “good” and “large” is often limited to impact players in the trenches. As such, Arizona’s inability to conclude the Williams agreement could haunt them.
If the cardinals fail again defensively, in particular in critical moments against the caliber teams of the playoffs – the question will not be whether they have done enough. It will be if they were ready to do everything.
