Why the Cardinals not addressing their pass rush will lead to trouble in 2026?

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort speaks during a press conference at the Arizona Cardinals facility in Tempe after the first round of the NFL Draft on April 23, 2026. Syndication: Arizona Republic

GLENDALE – Entering the NFL offseason, the top two issues that the Arizona Cardinals needed to address were offensive line and pass rush. When general manager Monti Ossenfort signed four offensive lineman in free agency, it seemed clear the direction he would go third overall with a stacked edge rusher class in the 2026 NFL draft. However, Ossenfort would go Norte Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third pick.

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Arizona didn’t go defense until the fourth round with Southeastern Louisiana defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor and didn’t add a linebacker until the sixth round in Iowa’s Karson Sharar. Each are solid prospects, but it clearly isn’t enough to fix last year’s abysmal unit.

Cardinals pass rushing ranks in 2025:

• 30 sacks (29th)
• 18.2% pressure rate (29th)
• 6.9% hurry rate (26th)
• 7.2% QB knockdown rate (26th)
• 24.1% blitz per drop back (15th)

Of the team’s 30 sacks 18.5 came from two players: edge Josh Sweat and Calais Campbell. Sweat was a massive signing last year by Ossenfort and proved to be every penny, while Campbell is 39-year-old  and was on an one-year deal. Campbell hasn’t, and likely won’t, re-sign with the Cardinals, meaning the team is losing a fifth of its pass rush production.

No other player on the roster had more than two sacks outside of those two names. Injuries played a part, last year’s first-round pick Walter Nolen with a full season likely has his numbers take a massive step up. However, even if the team is healthy, making no significant additions in the offseason following the production in 2025 is malpractice by Ossenfort.

Proctor does have a chance to come in and be the saving grace for the pass rush. Despite being a fourth-round pick, the 22-year-old had the fourth-most pressures by a interior defensive lineman with 39 and a 90.4 pass-rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus. At 6’3 and 280, Proctor is a serious playmaker in the trenches and will be an impact player his rookie season.

The problem is defensive coordinator Nick Rallis last year relied heavily a 3-4 defense, which means one defensive tackle on the field at all time. Ossenfort’s two best defensive prospects in the past two years of Nolen and Proctor share the same position and likely won’t even share the field at the same time. Rallis could alternate his playbook and run a 4-3 base to amplify his personnel.

However, that doesn’t fix the team’s problem of pass rush, with former first-round pick Darius Robinson currently labeled as the starting right edge for next season. In 15 games played, Robinson only had one sack, four tackles for loss and five pressures. While his rookie season had the excuse of injuries and personal issue, last year was fully on the shoulders of Robinson.

There is no reason Ossenfort should feel confident in Robinson being a starter next season or the pass rush in general. The lack of resources invested in the front seven is concerning heading into 2026. The only saving grace Ossenfort could fall back on is if some of his draft picks over the past four years final have a breakout year.

Cardinals receive solid NFL draft grade despite a glaring issue

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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports