Cardinals don’t draft an edge rusher, calais campbell update, jeremiyah love earns, and other draft notes
Jeremiyah Love was the pick, but one of the most popular positions mocked to the Cardinals in the first round of the draft had been edge rusher. Maybe David Bailey, maybe Arvell Reese. Reuben Bain, not so much.
But for a team with 30 sacks last season and in a draft that many felt was deep at edge, that the Cardinals didn’t emerge with one was a slight surprise. “It just didn’t work out” as the board fell, GM Monti Ossenfort said.
The Cardinals have players who they liked going into last season. Josh Sweat should’ve made a Pro Bowl. They still have Baron Browning and Zaven Collins. They just took Jordan Burch in the third round last year. BJ Ojulari, the second-round pick from 2023, “had a tough year,” Ossenfort acknowledged, as he returned from multiple torn ligaments in his knee.
“He never looked quite all the way back,” Ossenfort said.
As for the group, “we have to find a way to put them in the best positions,” Ossenfort added.
— The Cardinals will end up signing 6-to-8 undrafted rookies. Those names should come out next week.
— Rookie minicamp is May 8-9, so that’s when we see Love on the field for the first time.
— Ossenfort said the Cardinals have been in contact with veteran free agent defensive end Calais Campbell, but said it is “wait-and-see mode.” What that exactly means is a little more vague. Campbell is a free agent. He has not yet retired, so playing season No. 19 seems possible if not likely. Whether it might be in Arizona is TBD.
“He’s certainly earned that right and we enjoyed our year last year with him,” Ossenfort said. “We’ll see what that leads to down the road.”
— I don’t know how the quarterback situation is going to play out. No, the pick of Carson Beck does not preclude taking a quarterback again in 2027. This is the franchise that spent two top 10 picks on QBs in back-to-back years in a quest to find their long-term guy, so no, that’s not going to be an issue.
What does it mean for 2026? I would think at some point, maybe not until late in the season, we have a chance to see Beck play. But would I be surprised if Beck does not see the field this season? No. Both Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II are scheduled to be free agents after this season; you need QBs on the depth chart again regardless of what the 2027 draft looks like.
Mostly though, nothing is going to be decided in April. Or May, or June or July. Let’s get to training camp and see where things look, say, on Larry Fitzgerald’s birthday (Aug. 31, so you don’t have to Google.)
