The Arizona Cardinals are once again looking at major changes. This time around, it’s both the coaching and the quarterback; Jonathan Gannon is out, and Kyler Murray is expected to be gone again. Cardinals fans have seen this song sung many times before under Michael Bidwill, and, as he recently reminded reporters, he’s not only the owner but he’s also the president.

Those following along with the Fantasy Alarm Coaching Tracker know that the Mike LaFleur era will begin now as head coach. It’s our job to consider what his plans may be, comb through the depth chart, and look at the contracts to speculate on free agency. If there is a fantasy football spin, we’ll give our thoughts. 

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

 

 

QB

Kyler Murray

Jacoby Brissett

Kedon Slovis

  

RB

James Conner

Zonovan Knight

Emari Demercado

 

Michael Carter

RB

Trey Benson

Michael Carter

Corey Kiner

  

WR

Marvin Harrison Jr

Greg Dortch

Jalen Brooks

  

WR

Michael Wilson

Xavier Weaver

Simi Fehoko

  

WR

Zay Jones

Andre Baccellia

Tejhuan Palmer

  

TE

Trey McBride

Elijah Higgins

Josiah Deguara

Rivaldo Fairweather

 

TE

Tip Reiman

Travis Vokolek

Pharaoh Brown

  


 

Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

KEY

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

Arizona Cardinals Free Agency 2026

  • CURRENT PROJECTED TOP 51 2026 SALARIES: $275M
  • CURRENT ESTIMATED 2026 TEAM CAP SPACE: $39M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them, but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it, or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

  • 1st Round - $7,893,000
  • 2nd Round - $5,658,000
  • Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer, as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out. 

 

 

 

Cardinals Quarterback Depth Chart

Kyler Murray

As it’s become obvious that things are not working out, Kyler Murray’s camp has said he wants to be released. Which makes sense for him - obviously, you would rather choose your landing spot than have the team choose for you. And the most recent reports are that Kyler Murray will likely be granted that release. In doing so, the Cardinals would likely designate him a post-June 1 release, which would allow them to spread his dead cap over two seasons. They would still lose ~$17M in cap space this year, but it is a long-term focused move. 

Cardinals fans are not going to want to hear this. But those who have been following the team closely understand that this has not been a good organization. They have been a team for over 100 yards and they are tied for last in playoff wins with the Houston Texans (who became a team in 2002). The Bidwell family routinely tinkers in the process, and the team almost always grades out as one of the worst in the league in the NFLPA surveys. This year, they did not get a single A in any category. The head coach tied for the highest grade at B+, and he was just fired.

So, for me, I’m buying Kyler Murray in dynasty fantasy football leagues. We have seen guys like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield flounder with bad organizations, then shine with good ones. Kyle Murray is quietly QB8 all-time in fantasy points per game, so there’s a real chance that he lands with a new team and continues to provide fantasy relevance. Right now, he’s being left for dead by most owners, so it’s not hard to take that shot. And, at age 28, he’s statistically been better than what Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold gave you through that age. Here are their numbers per Pro Football Reference - this includes this past season for Sam Darnold.

Jacoby Brissett

The interesting twist is that, while teams don’t want to trade for Kyler Murray, there are rumors swirling that they are interested in Jacoby Brissett. For instance, he’s worked with Kevin Stefanski before, who is the Falcons' head coach, and he may need a starter while Michael Penix recovers. He was putting up decent fantasy numbers last year and, if the Cardinals don’t want to keep him as their bridge QB, there are landing spots out there. 

Kedon Slovis

Kedon Slovis has bounced around some practice squads here early in his career with the Colts and Texans before landing with the Cardinals. He’s seen virtually zero live action, and I don’t expect him to be in the running as a future starter. 

  • Reserves/Futures: N/A

CARDINALS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: As I mentioned, I’m in on Kyler Murray still, wherever he goes. But the Cardinals now are going to need to figure out their own QB situation. A popular name is Malik Willis, and that certainly would be an interesting shot. But, if they want to change up the style of play and not commit big money to Willis, there are some other options out there.

With the weapons they have in place, it’s not crazy to attract someone like Aaron Rodgers to make a run, similar to what they did with Kurt Warner years ago. On a cheaper but younger level, Jimmy Garoppolo is out there, and he just spent two years playing with Mike LaFleur. He also has connections to Monti Ossenfort, who helped draft him in New England. The Cardinals have a number of directions they could go in - the draft being another. 

Cardinals Running Back Depth Chart

James Conner

James Conner could be a cut or trade candidate here, given the direction they are moving. If he’s going to be cut, it will happen within the next two weeks, as he had a $1M bonus that hits on March 15th. He can be released with $7.58M and only $2.25M in dead cap before them.

Conner suffered a serious foot/ankle injury back in September. Not every injury like this is created equally, so the timeline is hard to get a hold of. Chris Godwin had setbacks with his ankle injury that lingered for almost a calendar year. With Cam Skattebo’s injury, they are suggesting he’ll be back for the spring. Details are murky on Conner’s recovery, but if he’s ready to go, he could be a Cardinals or maybe he could help teams like the Lions or Seahawks.  

Trey Benson

I was excited for Trey Benson going into 2025 after what was reported as a good offseason. He was actually splitting the work more evenly with James Conner early on and was set to get more work following the Conner injury, but then suffered his own injury in the very next game and missed the rest of the season. I’m still in on holding or even buying Benson for 2026, but the Cardinals could add pieces to the backfield. 

Zonovan Knight

“Bam” Knight got an opportunity to play big snap shares for the Cardinals, but he wasn’t particularly impressive. He’s a restricted free agent, but I doubt the Cardinals tender him, so consider him an unrestricted free agent for all intents and purposes. He does return kicks, so that would probably be part of his path back to the team. 

Michael Carter

Michael Carter stepped up with all the injuries and operated as the de facto pass-catching back. He’s an unrestricted free agent and not likely to be in the mix for major work if he returns. Another team could potentially look to him to supplement that pass game.

Emari Demercado

Demercado actually looked like the most exposive option for the Cards early on. But he found himself in the doghouse, making a bone-headed play, fumbling a surefire touchdown through the endzone at the 1-yard line. He never recovered a major role, then dealt with injury along the way. He’s a restricted free agent, but I don’t expect them to tender him, either, meaning he’ll be a free agent.

Corey Kiner

The Cardinals elevated Kiner very late in the season as depth after he spent time on the practice squad. That has him technically under contract, but he has no guaranteed money and is not a roster lock. 

CARDINALS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: If the Cardinals keep James Conner, they are all set at the top of the depth chart. If the rumors of moving on from James Conner are true, the Cardinals will basically have one real running back under contract in Trey Benson. It looks like the Cardinals have a lot of cap space, but if they move on from Murray, that actually takes $17M off that number as his future money hits immediately, so they will have to be careful in free agency.

And I think that would take them out of the market for guys like Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne. If they somehow did get Aaron Rodgers to come over, maybe he could convince Kenneth Gainwell to come along? They had a good relationship in Pittsburgh. As a Trey Benson fan, I’m hoping the Cardinals just let him start and backfill the roster. But they also could go as high as spending up on a Rico Dowdle type.

 

 

Cardinals Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Marvin Harrison Jr

Marvin Harrison Jr has not quite lived up to the hype. But he also hasn’t been a complete bust either. He plays a difficult role at the split end for young players; he’s competing with Trey McBride, and the quarterback play hasn’t been super helpful for him. We broke down here last year why Kyler Murray’s playstyle does not jive well with what Marvin Harrison Jr does.

So this represents a buy-low period for Marvin Harrison. He basically had a decent rookie year, then got hurt in year two. With the right QB play, he could be poised to explode at some point. And, if the Cardinals don’t figure it out, he can do what many diva wide receivers do and demand a trade. It worked for AJ Brown.

Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson helped me win multiple fantasy leagues in 2025. And I’m grateful for that. But I also have a hard time believing that Wilson transformed into a superstar overnight. I do believe that he is a better player now than he was as a rookie. But I don’t think he all of a sudden surpassed even Marvin Harrison. We basically had nine games last year when both Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson played more than 60% of the snaps. Here were their stats in those games.

NameTargetsReceptionsYardsTDS
Marvin Harrison Jr66385624
Michael Wilson39212231


 

When you really rewind what happened, Marvin Harrison Jr got hurt, then Jacoby Brissett went in there to let it fly. But even in Week 13, when MHJ returned briefly, he had 6 for 79 from Brissett, and Wilson had 3 for 36. This feels perhaps too obvious, but I see a lot of people also touting Michael Wilson, so you probably have a good chance to sell high here. If folks are wise to the situation, though, and you can’t get better than, say, a high 2nd, might as well hang tight. If one of Marv or Trey McBride goes down again, he could flash the upside again. 

Zay Jones

As you know, we like to look at how things operated when everyone was healthy. And, for the Cardinals, Zay Jones was playing WR3 as the field stretcher before he got hurt. He wasn’t particularly effective in that role, and he’s an unrestricted free agent, so no guarantee he will be back. 

Greg Dortch

Dortch has hung around the team for a while as their slot guy and return specialist. Last year, they tendered him at the right of first refusal level, and he played under that. This year, he’s an unrestricted free agent and might want to test the waters, looking for a bigger role elsewhere. If he is gone, they are going to need special teams help, as he returned the majority of both the kicks and punts.

Xavier Weaver

Weaver was a depth piece, but based on the litany of injuries, he had to step in and play meaningful snaps at times. He dealt with some injuries himself, which further exacerbated the issue. He’s under contract on a UDFA level with virtually no guaranteed money and, with the coaching changes, no one beyond this point is necessarily safe. 

Andre Baccellia

When Weaver was hurt, Andre Baccellia had to step in and play upwards of 70% of the snaps. Then he got hurt. You will notice a common trend here. Baccellia has mostly floated around the practice squad.

Jalen Brooks

After Brooks was released by the Cowboys, the Cardinals gave him a look. With the injuries, he played a bit himself fairly quickly. He’s technically under contract but has zero guaranteed money on the deal. 

Simi Fehoko

Another castoff from the Cowboys, Fehoko, at least plays a good chunk of special teams. He’s an unrestricted free agent but could be back in that capacity. 

Tejhaun Palmer

Palmer was picked in the 6th round by the Cardinals in 2024, but he was subsequently released and spent time on the practice squad. He was elevated down the stretch but did not play meaningful snaps.

CARDINALS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: Injuries caused the Cardinals roster to become fairly bloated, but the reality is that they basically have two wide receivers under contract in Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson. And those two guys are your split end and flanker in some capacity. They could use some combination of field stretching speed and/or a slot guy. Bonus points if they return kicks. Here are the options, and given they have three good pass-catchers, spending up might not be a priority.

 

 

 

Cardinals Tight End Depth Chart

Trey McBride

Trey McBride is a super mega star and the highest-paid tight end in the league. Which everyone is okay with, as he just had a top-five all-time fantasy season at the position. We just have to hope that Mike LaFleur doesn’t come in and try to use Trey McBride like Tucker Kraft. They are different players. McBride should not be playing a ton of inline snaps with his hand in the dirt like Kraft - he should be playing “big slot”. The monster season, followed immediately by change, has me labeling McBride a hold rather than a buy. But you really should not sell him to any team you are competing with, either. 

Tip Reiman

Tip Reiman is a self-described “mauler” in the run game. And that’s how he’s been used as a primary inline blocker and special teams guy. A valuable real-life player that doesn’t offer much value in fantasy. He was injured for much of 2025 but will be back in 2026. 

Elijah Higgins

Higgins is actually a player we are interested in stashing in deeper leagues. If something were to happen to Trey McBride, Tip Reiman would not step into that pass-catching role - he converted wide receiver Elijah Higgins would. His playing behind Trey McBride is great for his development at his new position and could help him land a new gig as a free agent next offseason. 

Travis Vokolek

Vokolek operated as the pass-catching tight end when Tip Reiman went down, but he suffered his own season-ending injury shortly after. He’s an exclusive rights free agent, so they could keep him for the veteran minimum if they want. 

Josiah Deguara

Deguara primarily played special teams but dabbled in some blocking with all the injuries. He’s a free agent but knows LaFleur from their time with Green Bay, which could give him an inside track.

Pharaoh Brown

Brown is a journeyman blocking tight end who was brought in for depth. He’s an unrestricted free agent.

Rivaldo Fairweather

Fairweather was signed off the Cowboys' practice squad in December - he’s likely more of a practice squad guy. 

  • Reserves/Futures: N/A

CARDINALS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Cardinals really don’t need to do anything here in free agency at the tight end position. They have a stud starter up front and, if something happens, Reiman can block while Higgins helps on pass downs. Easy enough. 

  • POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

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