Arizona General manager Monti Ossenfort has overseen a major roster change for the Arizona Cardinals during the last two offseasons.
On the field, the body of labor hasn’t produced much success as the Cardinals fought their way to a 4-13 record in 2023.
Real rebuilds shouldn’t be beautiful, nor are they. The Cardinals’ roster was thoroughly dismantled by Ossenfort and his team to start over during the previous offseason, and they have carried on with this success throughout the past few months.
The Cardinals are undoubtedly on the right route under their new management, even though Arizona isn’t exactly anticipated to be a postseason contender.
Fans, members of the media, and even competing CEOs all share that opinion.
From Jeff Howe of The Athletic:
The league has given offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s scheme high marks, and there’s a general consensus that he will be interviewed for head coaching positions following the season. The rapid squad rebuilding under general manager Monti Ossenfort has also impressed executives from rival teams. The Cardinals are unquestionably improving, even though their ceiling is restricted by an extremely challenging division.”
As 2024 gets underway this week, the Cardinals seem to be headed in the right direction. Ossenfort, who played for years with the New England Patriots and assisted in assembling a Tennessee Titans team that was seeded first, has demonstrated in the past that he is capable of good team-building.
Arizona has cleared away any poor contracts and any players who weren’t focused on the team first. The Cardinals now have a surplus of draft picks and salary cap flexibility to work with going forward.
Though it’s reasonable to argue the team is in a far better place compared to only two seasons ago, culture is undoubtedly a watchword around the team’s Tempe facilities.
James Conner, a running back with the Cardinals, stated, “We cleaned the roster.” We gradually eliminated the players who weren’t passionate about the game, weren’t playing for the correct reasons, and didn’t prioritize the team. That’s the necessary step. After cleansing, we’re prepared to launch an attack.
Conner was just chosen to be one of Arizona’s four captains for 2024.
