Arizona Cardinals 2026 preview: Jeremiyah Love headlines new era

• New direction: Arizona enters 2026 with Mike LaFleur replacing Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray no longer on the roster.

• Rookie impact: Jeremiyah Love and Carson Beck headline a draft class expected to shape the franchise's future.

• The PFF Early Bird Sale Is Here: Save 33% and get PFF+ for just $79.99, our lowest price of the year.

Explore PFF Fantasy Tools

EARLY BIRD SALE: SAVE 33% — the lowest price of the year (opens in new tab)

Nine straight losses left the Arizona Cardinals with a 3-14 record, tied for the worst in the NFL. The collapse led to the firing of head coach Jonathan Gannon, with former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur hired as his replacement.

That was not the only major change, as the Cardinals also parted ways with quarterback Kyler Murray, ending the former No. 1 overall pick’s seven-year tenure in Arizona. Here is our 2026 preview of the Arizona Cardinals.

Key Free Agency/Trade Additions

The Cardinals added a pair of starters along the offensive line, and left guard Isaac Seumalo is a clear upgrade over Evan Brown, who earned a 54.3 PFF grade at the position last season. Seumalo has never earned a PFF grade below 60.0 in a season in which he played at least 500 snaps.

The Cardinals also upgraded at right tackle. Jonah Williams and Kelvin Beachum both earned PFF grades below 60.0 last season, checking in at 55.4 and 51.6, respectively. Elijah Wilkinson is unlikely to be an All-Pro, but he outperformed both in 2025, earning a 62.9 PFF grade with the Atlanta Falcons.

2026 NFL Draft Class

The Cardinals are hoping they have found their next franchise running back in Jeremiyah Love. The former Notre Dame standout is coming off a season in which he earned a 93.1 PFF grade and forced 56 missed tackles. He also fumbled just once on 433 career carries and averaged 4.35 yards after contact per attempt in college. Arizona is unlikely to have a high-powered passing game in 2026, though, so don't be surprised if Love regularly faces loaded boxes.

It would not be a surprise if the Cardinals turn to third-round rookie Carson Beck at some point in 2026. Beck logged 1,538 dropbacks across his college career at Georgia and Miami. While he never recaptured the form that earned him a 91.5 PFF grade in 2023, his experience and high-end play make him an intriguing option for a team without a long-term answer at quarterback.

Reasons for optimism

There is plenty of young talent on the Cardinals' offense, led by left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. Three seasons into his NFL career, the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has earned PFF pass-blocking grades above 77.0 in each of the past two seasons. Marvin Harrison Jr. has also shown flashes through his first two NFL seasons. The former No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft earned PFF grades of 77.7 and 68.4, though he still sits behind tight end Trey McBride in Arizona's target pecking order. In one of the NFL's toughest divisions, however, this roster still needs time to develop.

The QB Annual Is Live

Every qualifying quarterback. Every metric that matters. PFF grades, passing splits, EPA per dropback, clutch performance, interception luck and more — all in one interactive guide built on the same data trusted by all 32 NFL teams.

Read the QB Annual (opens in new tab)Get PFF+ (opens in new tab)

Reason for pessimism

The Cardinals had just three defenders play at least 300 snaps and earn a PFF grade above 70.0 last season, and none of them topped 80.0. One of those players, Calais Campbell, is no longer on the roster, while the only projected new starter, Roy Lopez, earned a PFF grade below 70.0 in 2025. In short, this defense lacks high-end talent.

If Arizona is going to take a meaningful step forward in 2026, it will need young players such as Walter Nolen, Will Johnson and Denzel Burke to develop quickly and join edge defenders Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins as reliable, high-level contributors.

Breakout Candidate

Nolen showed some encouraging flashes during his rookie season in Arizona, but he played just 169 snaps, limiting his overall impact. He generated 15 pressures on 99 pass-rushing snaps, earned an 80.1 PFF pass-rush grade and recorded at least three pressures in three of the four games in which he had 15 or more pass-rushing snaps. The key for Nolen will be staying on the field, but if he can, there's a chance he emerges as Arizona's best defensive player by the end of the season.

Key roster battles

With four of the five starting spots on the Cardinals' offensive line already spoken for, the battle at right guard is one of the team's most intriguing position competitions. Isaiah Adams has earned PFF grades below 60.0 in each of the past two seasons, though he did show improvement in pass protection in 2025. His 65.6 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 30th among the 81 guards who played at least 300 snaps last season.

Arizona also invested a second-round pick in Chase Bisontis, whose athletic profile gives him significant upside. His production at Texas A&M was solid rather than spectacular, however, with a career-high 70.2 PFF grade in 2024. That could make a developmental year behind Adams the best path for his long-term growth.