American Football
Arizona Cardinals 2026 NFL season preview: a new coach, a star rookie RB and QB uncertainty
Watch the 2026 NFL season on DAZN (ex. US, China)
The Arizona Cardinals finally have a genuine offensive core: Trey McBride is already a star, Michael Wilson has proven he can produce like a WR1, Marvin Harrison still carries the highest ceiling, and Jeremiyah Love can transform the ground game.
The 2026 question isn't just whether Carson Beck represents the future at quarterback; it's how far Jacoby Brissett and Mike LaFleur can take this group offensively before the defense catches up with them.
Watch every game of the 2026 NFL season only on DAZN
The 2026 NFL season is fast approaching, including nine international games, and you can catch every snap on DAZN.
Enjoy an unrivalled viewing experience with an NFL Game Pass subscription, which includes incredible features such as RedZone, NFL Network, Game in 40, Sunday in 60, Multiview, and more.
With prices starting from £179.99 per year or £16.99 per month, you can catch every twist, turn, and touchdown live or on-demand, from Week 1 to the Super Bowl.
And with every preseason game available live and free, it's the perfect chance to experience everything NFL Game Pass has to offer.
Sign up for Game Pass on DAZN now and get your front-row seat to the 2026 season.
2025 Cardinals' season in review
The 3-14 record in 2025 masked three very different offensive stories.
Trey McBride became a First-Team All-Pro with 126 receptions, 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, cementing himself as arguably the top tight end in the league.
Michael Wilson finally played all 17 games and produced a genuine WR1 season: 78 receptions, 1,006 yards and 7 touchdowns, including 954 yards and 6 touchdowns with Jacoby Brissett from Week 6 onward.
Marvin Harrison Jr., held back by a concussion, an appendectomy and then foot and heel pain, finished with 41 receptions, 608 yards and 4 touchdowns in 12 games.
The 2026 pecking order isn't quite what the status suggests: McBride is the sure thing, Wilson has the production, and Harrison still carries the highest upside.
Arizona's reset for 2026
Arizona released Kyler Murray, brought in Mike LaFleur, and renegotiated Brissett's deal on July 26. The veteran is QB1, Gardner Minshew locks down the backup role, and rookie Carson Beck, excellent in the Hall of Fame Game, remains primarily a developmental piece for down the line.
Third overall pick Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier need to fix a ground game whose leading rusher managed just 333 yards in 2025.
On defense, Josh Sweat, Budda Baker, Walter Nolen III and Will Johnson form an interesting core, but injuries to Sweat and Garrett Williams, the loss of Jalen Thompson and a lack of depth still make it too early to talk playoffs in a ruthless NFC West.
| Who's in | Who's out |
|---|---|
|
Rookie DT Kaleb Proctor is already out for the season. |
LaFleur finally has enough pieces to vary his identity: 13 personnel with Harrison as the lone receiver, more spread-out formations with Wilson and McBride, then Love in motion or out wide.
Allgeier absorbs the physical carries, and Isaac Seumalo stabilises the interior line.
Murray's departure removes the off-script creation, and Brissett can distribute more cleanly. The right side of the line and the defensive front rebuild remain the bigger bets, though.
Christian Petersen / Staff
The Cardinals' key 2026 cast
-
Michael Wilson / Marvin Harrison Jr.: Wilson earned the status through his 1,006-yard season; Harrison still gets the premium usage and carries the ceiling. Both are starters, but they're competing for the top spot in the wide receiver pecking order.
-
Trey McBride: With 126 receptions, 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, the First-Team All-Pro is Brissett's most reliable target and arguably the offense's real number one option.
-
Jeremiyah Love / Tyler Allgeier: The third overall pick brings the explosiveness; Allgeier brings the power and reliability. Camp has shown a genuine split of reps with the starters.
-
Paris Johnson Jr. / Isaac Seumalo: The left tackle and the new guard need to protect Brissett and give Arizona a credible ground game again.
-
Budda Baker / Josh Sweat: The secondary's leader and the best pass rusher are carrying a defense whose level also hinges on Garrett Williams' return and Walter Nolen III's health.
-
Carson Beck: His 15-of-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown turned heads, but he's still working mostly with the third team, a project to develop rather than an urgent need to start.
-
Denzel Burke / Dadrion Taylor-Demerson: Burke led Arizona with three interceptions in 2025; the two young defensive backs need to absorb more responsibility following Jalen Thompson's departure.
Arizona's playstyle and DNA
| What works | The blind spots |
|---|---|
| The receiving corps is no longer an abstract project. Wilson wins on the outside and on intermediate routes, Harrison can dictate coverage, McBride dominates the middle of the field, and Bourne gives a real lift to the WR3 spot. Love adds the threat of a touchdown on a single burst. LaFleur can force defenses to choose between heavy personnel, spacing and the run game without ever taking his best players off the field. | The quarterback ceiling, the right side of the line, and defensive depth. Brissett threw for 3,366 yards across 12 starts but creates little when the script breaks down. Isaiah Adams and rookie Chase Bisontis are still competing for the right guard job, while right tackle remains unsettled. Sweat and Garrett Williams started camp on PUP; another injury behind them would immediately expose the pass rush or the secondary. |
Cardinals' training camp battles
Camp has confirmed the status battle between Wilson and Harrison: Harrison is the only wide receiver used in 13 personnel and has drawn the bigger early-camp volume, while Wilson has racked up diving catches and is coming off a 1,006-yard season.
Love and Allgeier are now splitting the first-team reps, despite an initial depth chart that favoured the veteran.
Beck completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown at the Hall of Fame Game, but he's still working mainly with the third team.
Sweat and Garrett Williams remain the two medical situations worth tracking most closely before Week 1.
NFL
Key questions facing Arizona
How does LaFleur divide targets between McBride, Wilson and Harrison without reducing any one of them to a secondary role?
Harrison is already the preferred isolation receiver in 13 personnel and has drawn more early-camp targets. Wilson, meanwhile, was the most productive and consistent of the three in 2025.
The best version of Arizona doesn't crown an artificial winner; it uses Harrison to move the coverage, Wilson to punish one-on-ones, and McBride to control the middle of the field.
Wilson earned the WR1 status through his 1,006-yard season, but Harrison still gets the premium usage and carries the ceiling.
Both are starters, but they're competing for top spot in the wide receiver pecking order.
Cardinals' game to circle
- Game: Cardinals @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Date: Sunday, September 13
- Kickoff: 9.25pm BST / 4.25pm ET / 1.25pm PT
- Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
The first real crash test for Jeremiyah Love and Mike LaFleur's new-look offense against a playoff-calibre team.
Arizona's range of outcomes in 2026
- Floor: 2-15 if the protection collapses and defensive injuries pile up
- Likely outcome: 5-12 with a more coherent offense
- Ceiling: 8-9 if the McBride-Wilson-Harrison trio becomes impossible to cover and Sweat remains available.
The latest training camp updates from DAZN
DAZN News will continue to bring you all the latest storylines from training camp.
For more comprehensive camp updates, NFL Game Pass subscribers should tune in to the NFL Network show Inside Training Camp on DAZN.
