The 2026 season seems to be going awry for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals are now 1-4 following a harrowing 45-21 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The two losses at home have been in uncompetitive fashion – save for the first quarter of each game.
The 1-4 start isn’t coming out of nowhere, but the circumstances contextualizing this are certainly raising eyebrows.
Below are three ways in which Arizona can revitalize their season, as well as in building a sustainable future.
Michael Bidwill Must Fire GM Monti Ossenfort
The franchise needs a fresh start in the management sphere.
While firing Ossenfort creates an interesting dynamic with head coach Mike LaFleur, it simply needs to be done.
The Cardinals are a measly 16-40 during the GM’s tenure. Situations such as the Marvin Harrison Jr. saga, the Jacoby Brissett contract “hold-in,” and a string of disastrous draft picks only compound the poor on-field performance.
This isn’ a decision that will come lightly to Bidwill, but new leadership is necessary. Sticking with Steve Keim for too long is a contributing factor in where Arizona is now, and this mistake cannot be one that becomes a trend.
LaFleur Moving On From DC Nick Rallis, Gifting Arizona Fresh Start
The Cardinals’ defense is simply underperforming too much in year four of the Rallis era.
Rallis did a wonderful job in 2023 under the context of working around severe personnel challenges. Since then, a clear regression has taken shape.
Now, the Cardinals rank dead last in points per game given up. There isn’t a BYE week on the horizon to make a clean change, but LaFleur’s refusal to make a firm statement in support of Rallis is telling.
Making the move to promote Teryl Austin to defensive coordinator for the rest of the year is in the best interest of the organization. Austin is a longtime defensive coach that has gobs of respect from across the league. This has to be done to push the Cardinals’ trajectory forward.
Arizona Making Quarterback Change Within Next Three Weeks
With all due respect to Brissett, he is an impermanent solution.
The second-year Cardinal is a lame duck at this time. There are very few paths to the 33-year-old returning to Arizona for a third season.
At this point, it’s clear that the season is going nowhere to put a bow on everything. This is where a transition to rookie quarterback Carson Beck should take shape.
Not only do the Cardinals need to take a long look at Beck, but the Miami product might gift them the best chance to win on a week-by-week basis.
The natural place to make the change seems to be Nov. 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. This gifts Arizona a chance to trade away Gardner Minshew II and move Brissett into a valuable backup role.
It remains to be seen if the Cardinals make the right moves, but there are avenues to flip the script moving forward.
3 Ways the Arizona Cardinals Can Salvage Their Season