The Arizona Cardinals failed to come anywhere close to expectations in their third season under the current regime.
A case-by-case evaluation into who’s on the hot seat and what the end result might be once the offseason takes hold. After looking at general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon, let’s dive into Arizona’s coordinators.
Cardinals coordinators Drew Petzing, Nick Rallis and Jeff Rodgers
When you look at the totality of the Cardinals’ season, complementary would not be one of the words used to describe Arizona.
Whether it be offense, defense or special teams, the Cardinals have fallen well short of what was supposed to be a jump in both the win-loss column and player development in Year 3 of the current regime.
That first jump was nowhere to be found in 2025. The second one is debatable.
Injuries have impacted all sides of the football this season. They, however, cannot be the end-all, be-all for Arizona’s issues.
Offensive playcalling has been questionable more times than not. The once strong run game Petzing built his offense around has suddenly vanished with the losses of James Conner and Trey Benson. The offensive line has been porous, and one could make a serious argument Klayton Adams’ departure played at least a part in the trend downward.
All those factors combined have led to the fourth worst rushing attack in the league after Arizona posted top seven numbers in each of the two seasons prior. And although the Cardinals are inside the top 10 through the air with Brissett leading the charge, Arizona is closer to Year 1 marks.
As for the continuity that was supposedly going to make up for the lack of offensive additions through free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft? It did not help.
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A midseason swap at quarterback from Kyler Murray to Jacoby Brissett shot some life into the offense and allowed Petzing to open up the playbook more from a play action and under center perspective, yet the end results are highlighted by just one win under Brissett.
It was clear a change was needed at the position, but the results have largely been the same.
Defensively, the Cardinals have had trouble stopping just about anyone this season. It’s been especially bad in the back half of the year, with the defense allowing at least 30 points in five of the past eight games played (all losses).
As a unit, the defense has given up the fourth most points, eighth most rushing yards, ninth most passing yards and seventh total yards per game. It’s in the back half of the league in total takeaways.
And that’s with major defensive upgrades Josh Sweat and Calais Campbell, two of Ossenfort’s biggest free agent success stories to date.
For it being the third season under Rallis, Arizona is putting up numbers similar to his first year on the job when the talent deficiency was glaring and getting gashed on that side of the football seemed inevitable.
Arizona’s special teams unit hasn’t been the reliable piece of the puzzle, either. Missed kicks from Chad Ryland (23 of 31) and posting the second worst yardage per kick return (28.9) have plagued the unit throughout a lot of the season.
Everything is on the table, but there’s a real chance Arizona’s current coordinators are coaching elsewhere next year, especially if there’s a change at head coach.
Even if Gannon returns for a fourth season, he’s likely not bringing everyone along with him after getting a three-year look at his assistants.
Arizona’s offense feels destined for a change at more than one spot, but is moving on from Petzing enough from a coaching standpoint?
Rallis has shown creativity and the ability to connect with players, but does Gannon need someone a little more seasoned? The defensive coordinator figures to be the most likely returnee of the trio, but it won’t come without some serious tweaks. Should one include Gannon taking over playcalling duties?
Rodgers has been around the team through three coaching regimes, all of which have failed to post a career winning record. Under the past, he’s also added the title of assistant head coach. Is it time for a set of fresh eyes on that side of the ball? And how much longer does Rodgers want to coach with more than two decades of coaching under the belt?
Change must happen this offseason. If it’s not at general manager or head coach, coordinators are next on the totem pole.
Rallis’ return percentage: 50%
Rodgers’ return percentage: 30%
Petzing’s return percentage: 20%
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