TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort used one of his get-out-of-jail-free cards on Monday with the firing of head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Posting a 15-36 mark across three seasons of work, the move was warranted regardless of the clear culture shift that took place under the head coach.
But while Ossenfort bought himself some more time — and potentially the chance at handpicking Arizona’s next franchise signal caller — he’s nowhere near out of the woods. He deserves plenty of the blame for the recent failures in Arizona and his seat is that much hotter following Monday’s decision.
Taking over the reins of a previous regime that had crumbled to rock bottom, it was going to be a process for the Cardinals to return to relevancy. Part of that was resetting a culture that was deeply fractured. That turned out to be an easier fix than expected.
As for putting a competitive product on the field? That’s been a different story.
Since Ossenfort got to town in 2023, none of his draft picks have earned Pro Bowl nods. 2023 first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. looks to be a Cardinals cornerstone at left tackle, but Ossenfort’s three other first-round picks have failed to live up to their price tags.
Marvin Harrison Jr. took a step backward in Year 2 from both an injury and production standpoint. After appearing in all but one game since college, Harrison was forced out of five games due to appendicitis and heel issues. His 41 catches for 608 yards and four touchdowns were well off the mark of what was expected to be a major jump from the wideout.
Instead, it was 2023 third-rounder Michael Wilson taking a gigantic leap forward in his third season, which leads to other questions:
Why wasn’t Wilson featured more in the offense before his coming out party midway through the season? And how much is Ossenfort to blame in how that’s been handled?
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While fellow 2024 first-rounder Darius Robinson got back on track from an injury standpoint and showed some improvement in the run game, the lineman posted just one sack and 43 tackles in 15 games (12 starts).
2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen III, meanwhile, showed he can be a game changer in this league. The only problem? Nolen couldn’t stay healthy and may be in danger of missing time in 2026 after going down with a noncontact knee injury late in the year.
Second-rounders Max Melton (2024) and BJ Ojulari (2023) haven’t panned out the way they should, whether it be poor play or injury.
Sure, Ossenfort has gotten more than expected out of later-round picks like Dante Stills, Cody Simon and Garrett Williams (to name a few), but when it comes to the premium picks at the very top of the draft board, it’s largely been misses three seasons in. That’s just not going to cut it.
The same goes for Ossenfort’s free agent hauls these past few seasons. While a serious argument can be made for Josh Sweat following his snub, the Cardinals haven’t rostered one Pro Bowler from any of the general manager’s classes to this point.
For the most part, it’s been quite the opposite.
Arizona’s biggest financial commitment in 2024, Justin Jones, made it just three games across two seasons before his release. Bilal Nichols is likely right behind him after neither could stay healthy. Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and offensive lineman Jonah Williams dealt with their fair share of injuries but also did not put up the type of numbers that screamed confidence.
Go back one more year, and you’ll find just two players still on the team from the 2023 class in starting center Hjalte Froholdt and defensive lineman L.J. Collier.
Simply put, the whiffs outweigh the hits (even if Calais Campbell and Sweat are hits) by a good margin in the talent department.
And because of that, the play on the field has suffered, especially given the amount of backend depth that was relied on due to the mountain of injuries this past year.
“I understand what this job is and every decision is going to be looked at, ‘Well you could have took this guy or you should have signed this guy,’ Ossenfort said Monday when asked about what he hasn’t done well in roster construction since taking over. “That’s reality. That’s what 31 other teams go through as well.
“We have to do better at developing players. We have to do a better job of player acquisition,” Ossenfort added. “I don’t think there’s ever a point where you’re going to say, ‘Yes, we’re all set. Our roster is where it needs to be.’ That doesn’t happen. I don’t think even the teams that are in the playoffs this weekend would say that. Roster construction never ends.”
Ossenfort enters 2026 with Gannon’s firing marking the first strike for the general manager, a glaring sign he was off on his decision-making.
How he handles the quarterback situation — namely Kyler Murray — could make it an 0-2 count by the time March rolls around.
Swing and miss on another head coach and top draft pick, and it’s back to the dugout for Ossenfort with no plate appearances left.
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