NFL power rankings: Defensive rankings have Arizona Cardinals near bottom
· Yahoo Sports
The NFL offseason gives us rankings and lists. USA TODAY has offseason power rankings for the 32 defenses in the league.
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The Arizona Cardinals were bad in 2025 and made some offseason moves, but you can probably imagine they don't rank highly entering this season.
Where do they fall?
Cardinals ranked 30th in defensive power rankings
A series of short-term health setbacks denied Arizona's defense any chance at coming together in 2025. With better fortune on that front and new coach Mike LaFleur retaining defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, perhaps some semblance of continuity will emerge in the fall. Still, the Cardinals didn't bring aboard any true difference-makers in free agency before ignoring that side of the ball through the first two days of the draft. This is a franchise stuck in a holding pattern, and its defense looks likely to remain in limbo.
They lost two of their best defensive players in free agency in Calais Campbell and Jalen Thompson. Their offseason additions are uninspiring. They were terrible against the run. They generated no pressure and didn't take the ball away.
While there is promise with the cornerback room, they did nothing to improve their edge pass rushing, so those talented cornerbacks will have to cover longer than they should.
Coming in 30th isn't good, but it feels generous.
Yes, they were ravaged by injuries, but they allowed 37 or more points in six of their final nine games.
For now, they are ahead of the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.
The 2026 season feels like a year ready-made for Rallis to be the scapegoat. We will see how it goes.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL power rankings: Defensive rankings have Arizona Cardinals near bottom