Can Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride carry the Cardinals offense under new coach Mike LaFleur?
When a franchise moves on from a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback, resets its coaching staff, and embraces a complete roster transformation, establishing a baseline level of execution becomes the ultimate priority. With former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur stepping in as head coach and veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett taking over under center, Arizona is aiming to establish a culture of accountability and rebuild its foundation in a relentless division.
The Cardinals endured a miserable 2025 campaign, finishing last in the NFC West with a 3–14 record. Complete divisional non-competitiveness defined the fall, as Arizona went 0–6 against NFC West opponents. A brutal 0–5 stretch in field-goal-margin decisions and a 2–8 record in one-possession games exposed a glaring lack of execution down the stretch, ultimately leading to a clean-sweep coaching change in Glendale. It also didn’t help that Marvin Harrison Jr. looked like he took a step back last season, and Kyler Murray wasn’t very effective even when he did play.
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The biggest move came at quarterback, where Arizona parted ways with Kyler Murray to clear future cap space, turning the keys over to veteran Jacoby Brissett and signing backup Gardner Minshew. To build out the depth chart under LaFleur, the Cardinals brought in wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Devin Duvernay alongside running back Tyler Allgeier. None of these moves are going to make this team a playoff team, but it will at least make them potentially competitive. It should also give LeFleur a chance to showcase what he can do and what areas the team needs to improve.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne, and All-Pro caliber tight end Trey McBride give the offense a bit of hope. However, there are a lot of questions about these players. I can’t look at any of them, except maybe McBride, and say that I have a lot of confidence in them. Rookie Jeremiyah Love could provide the ground game with a nice uptick. He has a high-ankle sprain, so it remains to be seen if he will be there for the opener.
Defensively, Nick Rallis was retained as coordinator to maintain scheme continuity, but the unit remains thin on elite game-disruptors. Upfront, edge rusher Josh Sweat anchors the pass rush alongside Andrew Billings, while a young secondary will face immediate pressure against high-octane NFC West offenses.
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I suppose the positive approach here is to take the over. But, as sports gamblers, we don’t look at things as positive and negative. We have to be objective and as realistic as possible. The Cardinals could win four games, but do you really want to rely on them to do it? I don’t see that much improvement this season, but the floor for bad teams should really be three games. I just don’t know why we would want to take the over, but the under is a risk. I won’t be betting on them, but if you made me pick, I’d take the under 3.5 games.
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