After one inactive day of free agency, this much seems clear: Monti Ossenfort has willpower and a plan.
When we revisit this offseason in three years, the Cardinals’ first-time general manager may well get plaudits for going slow and steady with a rebuild in Arizona.
But after keeping out of the early frenzy, there is also this reality: Patience may be a virtue, and it may be prudent, but it will also be painful.
Any chance of a Super Bowl during Kyler Murray’s golden five-year rookie contract window officially dissipated on Monday when Ossenfort signaled his intention to avoid quick fixes to the roster by laying low.
Arizona had that 7-0 start in 2021, of course, but otherwise did a wretched job of capitalizing on the gift of a talented signal-caller on an uber-cheap deal.
It takes only a cursory glance at the roster to realize how completely sideways things became at the end of Steve Keim’s tenure. Murray has a cap hit of only $16 million in 2023, and yet, Arizona couldn’t make even a feeble attempt at fielding a contender before his cap hit goes up to $51.9 million in 2024.
There was no choice for Ossenfort, really, but to sit back and take the long view, because two or three veteran splash signings would have continued the cycle of dependence on boom-or-bust players that robbed the Cardinals of a strong foundation.
So, yes, a team with the worst defensive line in the NFL, one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and a stunning lack of cornerbacks actually got worse on Monday when defensive tackle Zach Allen agreed to a three-year, $45.8 million contract with the Broncos.
While the season is still several months away, it would not be a surprise if Arizona enters 2023 with the lowest expectations in the NFL.
The Cardinals have cap space, but this was a weak free agent class, and bringing in veterans past their prime to address all the needs was never going to be the solution.
Instead, Arizona fans have to hope Ossenfort can identify young, ascending players and ink them to multi-year contracts that will actually serve a purpose when the Cardinals do get back to competitiveness in 2024, or — gulp — 2025.
They also must hope Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill’s reputation for being cheap, which was put on full display by that flunking NFLPA report card, does not hurt the chances of getting such players to sign on in the desert.
Ossenfort’s lone move on Monday was re-signing veteran tackle Kelvin Beachum, and while the contract was good value, I didn’t like the decision because it complicates playing time feasibility for 25-year-old Josh Jones, who showed flashes at left tackle in 2023.
There is still time to work that out, and if D.J. Humphries gets shipped out for a draft pick, I will have no qualms with Beachum playing right tackle at a low cost.
I also didn’t mind letting Allen walk, because he got paid for a breakout season after three previous years of injuries and inconsistency. The Cardinals are in line for a fourth-round compensatory pick for the departure, and it gives them more cap flexibility in the future.
The Cardinals have too many weaknesses to address in one offseason, which is why Ossenfort seems to be searching for deals in free agency. The draft will help, especially if a trade down from No. 3 and a trade of DeAndre Hopkins results in a bounty of draft capital.
Long-term, things should get better. But in the short-term, there isn’t much reason for Murray to take the field until he is fully recuperated from his torn ACL.
So we are potentially looking at a backup quarterback at the helm for several games, throwing to a wide receiver group no longer headlined by Hopkins. The offensive line should be revamped, but right now, it’s unknown if that position group will be a strength or a weakness.
The defense has some good players at non-premium positions, but it seems unlikely all of the issues at defensive line and cornerback can be covered up so quickly.
It’s an indictment on Keim and Bidwill that the Cardinals sit in such a lousy position after holding pocket aces for the past five years.
Ossenfort has serious work to do to get things turned around, and now we know this plan will be put into motion over years, not months.
