It’s not much of a secret just what the Arizona Cardinals need from this year’s NFL draft. Spoiler alert: it’s not much different from the position group they targeted early in free agency.
But some of the experts, and quite a few mock drafts, have talked around the possibility of the Cardinals targeting a DB, or even OL with the 16th overall pick.
Previously, it seemed unrealistic, but merely due to the fact that the Cardinals’ DL need was so great, taking any other position seemed irresponsible.
But then they added a pair of top-end players in Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson to the defensive line. Suddenly, other positions seemed less out of the question.
But the string of recent free agent signings might be indicating something else, for the time being.
Every team makes depth signings, and the Cardinals are not exceptions to that rule. After the initial wave of higher-profile signings took place, Arizona signed a trio of depth players in OL Jake Curhan, CB Jaylon Jones and OL Royce Newman.
Granted, none of these players figure to be starters, or even regular platoon players just yet, but it does seem odd that the Cardinals would continue to add depth to both of those position groups if they intended on making a swing for a player at those positions early in the draft.
Maybe GM Monti Ossenfort is simply gathering bodies, and some of these signings will be cut. Maybe OL Jonah Williams departs via trade or release. But Arizona also re-signed Evan Brown and Kelvin Beachum to provide consistency up front.
In the CB room, it’s apparent that HC Jonathan Gannon wants his secondary to be built from the ground up, with players like Garrett Williams, Max Melton, Starling Thomas V and others taking the bulk of the reps.
The Cardinals also looked to add a veteran CB in free agency, and even hosted CB Asante Samuel Jr. for a workout. No deal materialized at the time, but they then signed CB Jaylon Jones as a depth piece.
Granted, the power of BPA is real. If the Cardinals are high on a player like Will Johnson, or any of the various OL options, they’ll draft them. But with the way they’ve approached some of the other needs on the roster (with the exception of WR), it seems like Ossenfort is content to ride with the starters he has, with depth added behind them.
You could argue the DL is a similar situation, but with the exception of the two marquee additions, all the other signings in that unit have been in-house re-signs.
This could all end up becoming white noise if the Cardinals end up cutting some of their depth options or younger players, but that doesn’t necessarily feel likely right now.
It does seem like a pretty good bet that the Cardinals will go with a developmental pass rush option at No. 16 overall, or even work a trade and address one of the deeper positions with a later pick.
The 2026 Arizona Legacy Races in Buckeye, Ariz., are ringing in a new year for futurity horses December 30 – January 6, at the Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center. Formerly known as the MVP Futurity and Greg Olson Futurity, these two races have been a staple in many professional trainers’ schedules for decades. This year, the two events boast $22,000 in added money.
Linzie Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola claimed the Round 1 win with a 17.577 for $1,959. Barbara Merrill rode TKW Eye Am Tess to the 2D win.
After finishing out of the 1D money in Round 1, Loralee Ward and Dark Honey ran the fastest time of the futurity with a 17.030 to claim the Round 2 win. The duo also earned the Futurity Reserve Championship for $1,652.
Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola finished second in Round 2 with a 17.164, adding $1,603 to their futurity earnings and claiming the Futurity Championship for another $2,019.
Jenna Duhon and PMC AintSheBeautiful earned the Round 2 2D win. In the 2D Average, it was Estella Martin and Quanahs Kingdom claiming the win.
Round 1 of a very tough Derby went to Jana Bean and Feature This Goodbye with a 17.268. 2025 futurity standout Blissful Version and Lora Nichols finished second in Round 1 with a 17.282, won Round 2 with a 17.032, and claimed the Average win.
“Buddy” and Nichols were in contention for the highest money-earning futurity horse of the previous season, before the cancellation of the last two major events of the season due to EHV-1. By $7 million sire Winners Version, Buddy banked over $300,000 in his futurity year.
Megan McLeod-Sprague and Seis Corona (“Jagger”) were hot off the 2025 National Finals Rodeo. The duo won the Roohide Hot Rod with a 17.004 for $1,368. They also earned the Friday Open 1D win for $1,083.
With the first 16-second run of the weekend, Sherry Cervi and MP Meter My Fame won the Saturday Open 1D with a 16.969.
Rita Cheeney and HP Dash Ta Fairfax ran the only other sub-17-second run of the weekend, with a 16.996 that took the top spot in Sunday’s Open 1D.
Nichols and Buddy doubled down on their derby earnings, placing deep in the Open 1D both days, as well as the Roohide Hot Rod, and Big Time Boss.
Youth competitor Tabitha Dyal also had an outstanding weekend, earning Open 1D money Friday, Saturday, and Sunday aboard Slym Shady. She swept the Youth 1D on Slym Shady and earned Open 1D, Open 2D, and Youth 1D checks on Promise Me Fame Guys and Smooth Operraider. Dyal wrapped up her weekend with several checks in the Big Time Boss.
Authorities say a prominent California agriculture heir is accused of traveling to Arizona to kill his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce, a case now drawing national attention for its cross-state trail and high-profile ties.
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On today’s Digital Pregame Show presented by Little Caesars, J.B Long, D’Marco Farr, and Maurice Jones-Drew preview the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 18 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. The trio discuss key players to watch, game predictions, and more. Tune in for kickoff at 1:25pm PT on FOX.
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