Big move Cardinals still must make after releasing Kyler Murray in 2026 NFL free agency

The Arizona Cardinals have already made some bold moves to start the Mike LaFleur era. Perhaps Arizona’s biggest move of the offseason so far was cutting QB Kyler Murray after seven seasons as the team’s franchise player. Now the Cardinals will enter uncharted territory and begin their hunt for another franchise quarterback. But first, there’s plenty of work to do upgrading the roster.

Arizona has no clear path to finding their quarterback of the future during the 2026 offseason. As such, they’ve devoted their resources to upgrading other key positions on both sides of the ball.

The Cardinals added a handful of starters during NFL free agency. They plucked guard Isaac Seumalo from the Steelers as well as receiver Kendrick Bourne from the 49ers. Arizona’s offense is already starting to look more complete.

But Arizona still has plenty of cap space available and should not get complacent. They should make at least one or two more signings to shore up their remaining holes before the 2026 NFL Draft.

This is the next big free agency move the Cardinals need to make after releasing Kyler Murray.

Could the Cardinals be the perfect landing spot for Jawaan Taylor?

The Cardinals are one right tackle away from having a rock-solid offensive line.

Arizona came into the offseason with left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and center Hjalte Froholdt as entrenched starters. The Cardinals brought in Matt Pryor to add some competition for Isaiah Adams at right guard. Plus Seumalo should start at left guard. That leaves right tackle as the only remaining hole on the line.

To be clear, the Cardinals already signed Elijah Wilkinson. He would likely start at right tackle if the season started today. But there is one obvious player on the free agency market who would be an immediate starter.

The two best remaining tackles are Jonah Williams and Jawaan Taylor. Arizona already moved on from Williams, which leaves Taylor as the best remaining player. But don’t let that trick you into thinking he’s some form of consolation prize.

Taylor has a reputation for committing penalties, particularly false starts, that has followed him since the 2023 season. That masks the fact that he is still a good starting right tackle.

Taylor only allowed three sacks and 20 total pressure during the 2025 season in Kansas City. He excels in pass blocking and is an adequate run blocker. If the Cardinals run a lot of 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) in 2026, that could help make up for Taylor’s decent run blocking skills.

Spotrac estimates that Taylor has a market value of roughly $15 million per season on a new contract. That could work for Arizona if they structure the deal in a way that allows them to get rid of Taylor in a few years if needed.

Taylor could easily be the final piece of Arizona’s offense line in 2026. It is hard to see many downsides to making this move.

Signing Taylor would round out a transformative free agency class for Arizona

One common approach to NFL free agency is taking away any obvious roster needs before the draft. In theory, this process helps teams avoid reaching on players at positions of need in the draft. Instead, they can take the best players available.

Adding Taylor could put the Cardinals in position to do just that this April.

Arizona’s new regime does deserve some credit for patching up almost every other hole on the roster during the first week of free agency.

The Cardinals look to have a balanced roster on offense. Upgrading the offensive line, and bringing in Tyler Allgeier, gives them enough players to run a ground-and-pound offense in 2026. Meanwhile, the addition of Bourne to Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and Trey McBride leaves the Cardinals with enough receiving options to stress opposing defenses.

Meanwhile, the defense is looking solid too after retaining some depth players and making one or two external additions.

Ultimately, the best part of the Taylor addition is freeing up the Cardinals to do whatever they want in the draft. If the right player is available, it still makes sense to add talent on offense. But Arizona can make it work if they target a transformative defensive player too.

Either way, the future is bright for the Cardinals in the early stages of their new regime.

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