The Arizona Cardinals find themselves in a similar position to many NFL teams. Most of the key pieces are in place. But can the quarterback take them to the next level? Kyler Murray has flashed his ability and shown a lot of promise but only one team gets to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. It takes a special season to do it.

Guys like Trey McBride and James Conner have shown they can take things to that level. And we did a full study on how Kyler Murray can unlock WR Marvin Harrison with a little work. Now it’s up to him to get that work done.

With NFL free agency opening next week, it’s our job to figure out how they might be able to improve. We’ll look at the weapons in terms of the depth chart, the contracts, the salary cap, and the free agents to see what is on the table. And maybe our predictions can help you in your dynasty leagues or your 2025 NFL mock drafts. So, let’s dive in!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

 

 

Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart 2025 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

QB

Kyler Murray

Clayton Tune

   

RB

James Conner

Trey Benson

Emari Demercado

DeeJay Dallas

Michael Carter

WR

Marvin Harrison

Zach Pascal

   

WR

Michael Wilson

Zay Jones

   

WR

Greg Dortch

Xavier Weaver

   

TE

Trey McBride

Tip Reiman

Elijah Higgins

  
  • White = unrestricted free agent
  • Green = role is safe
  • Yellow = role in flux
  • Orange = likely a depth piece
  • Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Arizona Cardinals Free Agency 2025

  • CURRENT PROJECTED TOP 51 2025 SALARIES: ~$249M
  • CURRENT ESTIMATED 2025 TEAM CAP SPACE: ~$39M

 

 

 

Cardinals Quarterback Depth Chart

Kyler Murray: We dove deep into a breakdown of his playstyle in this article. The short and sweet is that he’s great at getting the ball out early and adept at scrambling but he struggles to get through his read progressions. The offensive line didn’t help but Murray has the tendency to either take the low-hanging fruit with a short pass or scramble and give up on the longer developing plays.

Kyler is under contract on a massive extension, and he’s locked in as the quarterback for the foreseeable future. This year will be crucial for him as the contract does start having reasonable outs in 2026. I’m willing to be on him, especially in fantasy football, given his physical talents. But he needs to have more faith in the play calling and the weapons to improve in the more intangible parts of the position. 

Clayton Tune: There is no way to really sugarcoat it - Clayton Tune has not played well in his limited action. His one true start was a complete blowout where he only threw for 62 yards and two interceptions. They released Desmond Ridder to go with Tune so maybe they have seen some things in practice that we have not seen. 

  • Reserves/Futures: N/A

CARDINALS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: If the Cardinals are serious about making a deep run, they should probably have someone they can depend on to win a couple of games and keep the team afloat if something happens to Murray. And I’m just not sure if that is Clayton Tune. 

If they are trying to push Murray with young talent, that would be through the draft. If they want to have someone available behind him that can step in, there are options in free agency. They have plenty of cap space, but every team keeps cost under consideration with backups. 

Here are some guys that can win games. Gardner Minshew was just informed that he will be released and that is the kind of guy that can at least go .500.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Gardner Minshew, Marcus Mariota, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz

 

 

 

Cardinals Running Back Depth Chart

James Conner: James Conner was so close. He has missed at least a game due to injury in every season of his career. Last year he made it all the way to the final week of the season before being shut down with a knee injury. The guy plays hard but that is often a consequence.

Many figured that rookie Trey Benson would take over at some point. But Conner had one of his best seasons, rolling career highs in rushing yards (1,094), yards from scrimmage (1,508), and touchdowns (11). Conner is expected back and, despite some comments about Trey Benson stepping up, Matthew Berry recently clarified that those around Arizona still view Conner as the clear RB1. That could make him a bargain in your fantasy leagues for the games where he stays healthy. 

Trey Benson: Trey Benson is a talented back which is why Arizona made him the second RB off the board in 2024. He’s yet to really get a chance to show what he can do because he was ALSO hurt at the end of the season when James Conner was out. 

The injury-prone Conner turns 30 this offseason so Benson is clearly a hold for us and much more of a buy in dynasty than he is a sell. 

 

 

 

Emari Demercado: The Cards like Demarcado and they have him on a cheap rookie deal for 2025. He could be released with very little deal cap but I expect him to remain with the team for depth. He does contribute a bit on special teams as well and can return kicks if need be. 

DeeJay Dallas: Dallas not only returns kicks but he plays on a number of special teams units. The issue is that he doesn’t contribute much on offense at all, even when the other guys were out. And his contract is a bit high for what he offers. He can be released with $2.4M in savings and only $666K in dead cap so there’s a real chance they move on and just find special teams help for cheaper. 

Michael Carter: The Cardinals actually cut Michael Carter in August but were able to bring him back via the practice squad. They then elevated him to the roster down the stretch due to injuries. That has him under contract for 2025, but he can be released with $1.27M in savings and zero in dead cap. So, he’ll need to make the team this year. 

CARDINALS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Cardinals really don’t need to do much via free agency. Or the draft, to be honest. They have James Conner and Trey Benson at the top with Demercado on a cheap deal. If they want to bring someone in that returns kicks and maybe contributes a little more than DeeJay Dallas, here are some of the names out there. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Kenneth Gainwell, Kene Nwangwu, Avery Williams, Ameer Abdullah, Nyheim Hines

 

 

 

Cardinals Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Marvin Harrison: If you’re worried about Marvin Harrison, I encourage you to take a look at this article. For that I scoured all the stats and watched all 500+ routes to figure out what was going on. I then included those stats and the important clips in the article. And the reality is that Marvin Harrison did everything he was asked - he was just not put in a position to succeed.

The quick summary of that article is that MHJ was asked to run a lot of late-breaking, intermediate routes. And Kyler Murray was not hanging in the pocket and getting through his read progressions. When he did, like the clip included in the article from the Dolphins game, magic would happen.

Marvin Harrison is a player I’m absolutely buying if he were out there. Even in Superflex, this is a player I would be drafting at 1.01 if he were somehow available in this year’s draft. It might take more than a 1st round rookie pick to get him and that’s okay. 

Michael Wilson: Wilson operated as the split end for the Cardinals and the de facto WR2. He played 799 snaps on the season to 865 for Marvin Harrison. 

It’s hard for him to be super productive alongside Harrison and McBride but he plays a vital real-life role as the big bodied split end on the outside. He’s under contract for the next two years and there really isn’t a drastically better option in free agency for what he does.

 

 

 

Greg Dortch: Greg Dortch was the primary slot WR though this team liked to rotate him with Zay Jones and extra tight ends like Tip Reiman and Elijah Higgins. He returned every punt and a few kicks for this team so, if they don’t bring him back as an unrestricted free agent, they will need someone to help with those duties. 

Zay Jones: Zay Jones operated as the field stretcher who rotated with Dortch or came in for four wide receiver sets. They will need some sort of speed on the outside in that capacity but it’s not a super fantasy relevant role in this scheme. Jones is an unrestricted free agent. 

Zach Pascal: Coaches like Zach Pascal because he can play every role in the offense. He doesn’t excel at any one thing but that makes him a solid “next man up”. He’s an unrestricted free agent and is getting up there in age so it might be time to move on. 

Xavier Weaver: Weaver made the team as an undrafted free agent. He CAN return kicks but they didn’t use him in that capacity. In fact, he didn’t play special teams at all. He can be released with zero dead cap, so he’ll need to make this team from scratch again in camp. 

CARDINALS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: They have their split end in Michael Wilson and their flanker in Marvin Harrison If they bring Greg Dortch back, they are set for slot and punt returns. There really isn’t a better slot guy that also returns punts out there so, if they upgrade at slot, it would be for offensive purposes. Here are the options available if they want to go that route.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Tyler Boyd, Hollywood Brown, Diontae Johnson, Elijah Moore, Bo Melton

 

 

 

Cardinals Tight End Depth Chart

Trey McBride: Trey McBride is one of the best young tight ends in the game, no question. The only question is what his extension should be as he’s a free agent after this season. 

It would be wise for them to get that done sooner rather than later and I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he changed the top of the tight end market. Sam LaPorta isn’t eligible for an extension until next year and Brock Bowers was just a rookie this past season. 

Tip Reiman: Tip Reiman is a self-proclaimed “mauler” who serves as the blocking tight end. He’s a valuable real-life asset but doesn’t offer much in fantasy football. If you are holding him in deeper leagues and can trade for anything, I would do so.

Elijah Higgins: We saw firsthand what the Cardinals' game plan was when Trey McBride missed Week 4. Tip Reiman kept his role as an inline blocker and Elijah Higgins stepped up his work in the pass game. The converted wide receiver is an intriguing stash in deeper leagues to see how he develops as a tight end. He’s under contract through 2026 however so we could be waiting a bit. Right now he is just a handcuff for McBride.    

CARDINALS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: This free agent tight end class is pretty rough. The Cards not only have Trey McBride at the top but they also have a two man team with Tip Reiman blocking and Elijah Higgins catching passes right behind him. Outside of deep special teams help, they don’t need to make any sort of splash in free agency. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A