PFF Drops the Hammer: Cardinals Ranked 19th in NFL Roster Rankings for 2025
“Promising pieces, but in a loaded NFC West, Arizona is still fighting uphill.”
The Arizona Cardinals have been rebuilding for what feels like a football eternity. But if Pro Football Focus is right, they’re not quite done laying bricks. In its recently released 2025 NFL Roster Rankings, PFF placed the Cardinals at No. 19 out of 32 teams—a harsh reminder that while Arizona is improving, they’re still looking up at the NFL’s contenders.
Just five spots above the bottom half of the league, the Cardinals find themselves in football limbo: not bad enough to be pitied, but not nearly good enough to be feared.
A Bulldozing Run Game Isn’t Enough
Let’s start with the good: Arizona can run the damn ball.
PFF lauded the Cardinals’ ground game, ranking them 9th in rushing and 14th in run-blocking—a rare bright spot on a team otherwise stuck in neutral.
Veteran workhorse James Conner was a beast last year, steamrolling defenders en route to a 90.6 rushing grade, sixth among all NFL running backs. At times, he *was* the Cardinals’ offense—dragging the team forward when the passing attack sputtered and the defense disappeared.
“Their most successful offensive stretches last season came when they pounded teams into submission on the ground,” PFF said.
But a dominant run game alone doesn’t win championships—especially not in a division where every quarterback can light up the scoreboard and every defense can bring the heat.
The Pass Rush: Still an Open Wound
Now for the ugly: Arizona’s pass rush is still a disaster zone.
In 2024, the Cardinals tied for the second-worst PFF pass-rush grade in the league. They ranked in the bottom eight in pressure rate and pass-rush win rate. Translation? Quarterbacks had all day to throw—and they made Arizona pay dearly for it.
Even with the addition of Josh Sweat, a solid veteran from Philadelphia, the Cardinals’ front seven remains more bark than bite. It’s no wonder the team made a flurry of offseason moves targeting the defensive line, but the ghosts of last season linger heavily over this unit.
Hope Arrives in the Secondary
There is, however, a glimmer of hope. Rookie cornerback Will Johnson, fresh out of Michigan, enters the league with sky-high expectations—and a résumé to back it up.
His 91.3 PFF coverage grade in college speaks volumes, and he may be the exact type of playmaker Arizona desperately needs in the secondary. With the Cardinals’ outside corners ranked 26th in coverage last season, Johnson could single-handedly elevate the unit—if he stays healthy.
Surrounded by Sharks in the NFC West
If all of this sounds tough, buckle up—because things only get harder in the NFC West.
The San Francisco 49ers, despite finishing dead last in the division in 2024, are already ranked **No. 14, five spots ahead of Arizona. And they just added pass-rush menace Bryce Huff to an already violent front seven.
* The Los Angeles Rams drafted Josiah Stewart, a pressure machine out of Michigan who posted a 92.3 PFF pass-rush grade—he’s expected to hit the ground running.
And then there’s Seattle. The Seahawks live rent-free in Arizona’s nightmares, and 2025 looks like no exception.
In short: Arizona isn’t just fighting to improve. They’re fighting to *survive* in one of the NFL’s most unforgiving divisions.
The Verdict: Progress? Sure. Contenders? Not Yet.
PFF’s 19th-place ranking underscores a painful truth: the Cardinals are getting better, but not fast enough.
They’ve built a rugged run game. They’ve added talent on defense. But until the pass rush becomes a real threat and the secondary tightens up, this team will continue to play catch-up—not just in games, but in the standings.
The roster is better. The future is brighter. But in the cutthroat jungle of the NFC West, “better” might not be enough.
