2024 Arizona Cardinals Free Agency Grades

This has the potential to be a transformative offseason for the Arizona Cardinals.

After two straight four-win campaigns, they have copious draft capital, ample cap space and a healthy Kyler Murray raring to go in 2024.

GM Monti Ossenfort did a great job in 2023, and now it’s time to make some knee-jerk reactions about his 2024 decisions. 

Check back often, as this will be the one-stop shop for all of our Cardinals free agency grades.

The move: Signed T Jonah Williams (Two years, $30 million, $19.1 million guaranteed)

Grade: A+

Analysis: This was a fantastic signing by Ossenfort. Williams is a former first-round pick who is still just 26 years old. He has flexibility to start on either the right or left side, so the Cardinals can really optimize Paris Johnson’s ceiling by using him wherever they see fit.

Williams may not be a dominant force, but he has played in all but one game the past three seasons and is known as an above average pass protector.

The salary is very palatable, and the Cardinals are now in a better overall financial situation at tackle following the addition of Williams and the release of D.J. Humphries.

This signing paves the way for the Cardinals to either take Marvin Harrison, Jr. at 4 or trade down if he is off the board. 

And while we will need to see the full structure of the deal, the guaranteed money may indicate that the Cardinals could actually get off the contract if needed after one season, allowing a rookie tackle to still be in play during the draft. 

Williams fills one of the Cardinals’ biggest needs, at a premium position, at a fair price. That’s a hard trio to pull off in one fell swoop, but Ossenfort did it. Bravo.

The move: Signed RB DeeJay Dallas (Three years, $8.5 million, $2.4 million guaranteed)

Grade: D

Analysis: Dallas is a special teams ace who will likely slot in as the kick and punt returner, but if I’m building a roster, this is not where I’d be allocating my resources.

The Cardinals have James Conner and Michael Carter to carry the running back load in 2024, so Dallas is unlikely to see many snaps on offense. And while both Conner and Carter are both heading into the final year of their deals, it’s a position that can be easily filled each offseason.

This contract is only about 1% of the salary cap, and the Cardinals can easily get out of it on a year-by-year basis, so it’s not a huge issue in the scheme of things. But nearly $3 million per year for a special teams player is a bit rich.

The move: Signed DT Justin Jones (Three years, $30.1 million, $19.75 million guaranteed)

Grade: F

Analysis: We will see if the contract is actually this strong, but if it’s in the ballpark, I don’t understand the thought process. The Cardinals needed to beef up their defensive interior, but I think Bilal Nichols is a better player at a cheaper price point.

Jones had 4.5 sacks last season but his pass-rush win rate of 5.7% was pretty poor, suggesting the sack numbers could have been fluky. He finished with a PFF grade of 49.3, which is well below average.

Like Nichols, Jones is durable. He has played all 17 games each of the past two years. He’s also 27, which is a player’s athletic prime.

So there are some good things about Jones, but I don’t see the upside of this signing at such a price. It was important for the Cardinals to get better up-front, but this one went too far. The resources allocated here would have been better off going to another position.

The move: Signed LB Mack Wilson (Three years, $12.75 million)

Grade: A

Analysis: Wilson was a backup in New England last season but still saw a decent amount of playing time and was used in multiple ways. He should slot in as a starter alongside Kyzir White at off-ball linebacker, and I love that Ossenfort locked him in for three years at a very affordable price point.

Ossenfort has now addressed both of his off-ball linebacker spots in free agency, while using the draft to target premium positions. Smart.

Wilson can be used as a blitzer or off the edge, and that versatility is helpful. He is also good on special teams, and it feels like this signing has a high floor along with a decent ceiling.

There was a huge drop-off beyond White at off-ball linebacker, and Wilson helps fix that. The defense still lacks star power, but it is certainly deeper now.

The move: Signed DT Bilal Nichols (Three years, $21 million, $14.4 million guaranteed)

Grade: A

Analysis: The sack numbers scare you a bit, as Nichols only amassed three of them in two years with the Raiders. But the more I looked at the signing, the more I liked it.

Nichols never misses any games, which is a huge for a defensive lineman, and can play about 55-to-60 percent of the defensive snaps.

He is solid against the run and the pass, as Nichols does have a five-sack season on his resume from 2020 with the Bears. He is only 27 years old, and at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, can be an interior anchor this team so desperately needs.

Nichols isn’t Christian Wilkins, but he’s a massive upgrade from what the Cardinals trotted out a season ago, and Arizona can structure his cap hit to be very minimal in 2024.

There is some upside here, too. Nichols has been the victim of mediocre sack numbers in his contract years, which has kept his deals in the middle tier for defensive players. But if he can get up to the four-to-six sack range, this will be a home run signing.

The move: Signed CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (Three years, $25.5 million, $17.5 million guaranteed)

The grade: D

Analysis: I assumed the lack of a reported initial dollar amount signaled that this was a team-friendly deal, so I originally gave this a B, but boy was that incorrect.

Murphy-Bunting signed for one year and $3.5 million with the Titans last season after losing his job with the Buccaneers in 2022. He gave up 9.3 yards per target with a passer rating against of 91.8 for Tennessee. That should have resulted in another quasi-prove-it deal, but instead he cashed in with a much larger contract than most forecasted.

Murphy-Bunting is 6-foot, 195 pounds and ran a 4.42-second dash at the combine back in 2019. He will only be 27 years old this year, and as a lanky press corner, seems to be a very good fit in the defense. 

There is potential for this to work out, but it’s too rich for my blood. Murphy-Bunting didn’t do anything in 2023 to warrant a sizable contract, and yet the Cardinals gave him one anyway.

Cornerbacks are in short supply, and teams are forced to pay a premium on them. That was the case here. Now Arizona has to hope he holds up on the outside to make this deal worth it.