Cardinals mailbag: Whose seat is the hottest right now?

The Arizona Cardinals added another loss to the record on Sunday, and with it came more noise for change.

Whether it be defensively, at quarterback or in the front office, something’s got to budge with Arizona potentially staring down another lost season.

Whose seat is the hottest right now?

Let’s dive into that and a whole lot more in this week’s mailbag ahead of the Cardinals’ game against the Detroit Lions!

Cardinals Week 5 mailbag

Tucson Goat Guy: Who would you fire first between Nick Rallis, Monti Ossenfort or Jacoby Brissett?

TD: This is a tough one, because all three are staring at triple-digit temps.

If I’m looking at who has the hottest seat currently, it’s Rallis.

It’s clearly not working with him running the show, with 30 points allowed feeling like the norm at this rate.

There is a real chance his buddy Drew Petzing puts that final nail in his coffin this week. The Lions are rough defensively but scary on offense.

For a defense that has trouble stopping just about anyone save for the lowly Los Angeles Chargers, we could realistically see a 40-burger this weekend.

Rallis’ tenure has to be nearly up in Arizona unless something drastic happens.

Next up is Brissett.

His starting record in Arizona is 2-14, and while that’s not all on him, he hasn’t helped his case, especially with the game on the line.

A couple more losses are only going to increase the noise and likely force LaFleur’s hand to make a change.

I’ve said it from the beginning. Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys should be the debut of Carson Beck.

By that time, Arizona will know where it stands in the NFC if it already doesn’t have a good idea.

Those two could be out as soon as next week at this rate.

As for Ossenfort? I think he gets the full season before being shown the door despite having plenty of blood on his hands in what feels like a constant rebuilding phase.

To sum it up, all three are on the hot seat and it wouldn’t be surprising to see none of them in their current role by next year.

Shane: If we lose the next two games, is it fair to ask, should we see the Carson Beck takeover?

TD: It’s fair to ask now!

As mentioned above, Brissett hasn’t helped his case this year. And with every loss, we get closer and closer to seeing a quarterback change.

Some want Gardner Minshew II to get a shot. But it should 100% be Beck once Brissett is benched.

Under your thinking, the Denver Broncos would mark Beck’s first opponent.

Heading into the season, one of the teams I wanted the rookie to avoid was the Denver Broncos due to their defense under former Cardinals DC Vance Joseph.

Johnny: Why did Jeremiyah Love seem so fatigued and frustrated by his workload already?

TD: Because he is.

Despite some iffy video editing, Love wasn’t trying to send a shot over the Cardinals’ bow when talking to reporters last game about this year being the longest of his life. He was more talking about the path he’s taken to get to this point.

Let’s backtrack real fast. The rookie went from playing at Notre Dame last year to nothing but NFL Draft prep and everything that comes with that.

After getting drafted, he went into a rookie minicamp on top of the regular ins and outs veterans have during the offseason and training camp.

Then preseason hits and he goes down with the ankle issue. He finally moves past that but suffers another ankle injury that continues to linger and is 100% impacting Arizona’s running back split.

Pile on the fact that running backs take a weekly beating, making it that much harder to get back to full strength, and his frustration is warranted.

The biggest thing for Love right now is to get healthy. Arizona brought in Tyler Allgeier to help lead the backfield. Let him do it for the time being so Love can reach that game-changing echelon most all of us think he’s capable of reaching.

Don: Should we trade Josh Sweat?

TD: This is a weekly conversation at this point.

If the Cardinals are well outside the playoff picture by the trade deadline (they should be) and can snag a first- or second-round pick for Josh Sweat, pull the trigger.

The pass rusher reportedly wants a new contract and will continue to cause distractions until he gets one or gets dealt to a team that will.

He’s also currently not playing up to the price tag of whatever he’s asking.

No matter how it happens, his days in Arizona feel numbered.

Jonathan: Any chance changes are made after this week (Justin Frye, Nick Rallis, Jacoby Brissett)?

TD: I can definitely see Rallis getting the boot if Petzing wins the battle of coordinators in decisive this week.

I think he is going to be the first domino to fall between the three you mentioned.

Brick: What does Jacoby Brissett bring to the offense that is a positive that merits him starting more games? I am not seeing it in wins, yards, explosives, decision making, situational awareness, pocket presence, ability to open up plays in the offense.

TD: Despite all the losses, Brissett has gotten the most out of Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. There is no denying that.

McBride went from being allergic to the end zone to basically living in it.

Wilson went from offensive afterthought to WR1 (and the money that comes with it).

The veteran has shown to be a good facilitator and a good leader in the locker room. Players just gravitate to the guy. They want to play for him and that goes a long way.

Wins go a lot further, though, and Brissett just doesn’t have that. And as you mentioned, explosives are down, he’s hardly going through his reads and is a checkdown merchant in 2026.

JarJar: When is Beck starting? We can’t take Brissett and his 2-14 starting record anymore. Save us.

TD: Give me Week 8 against Dallas. Lock it in.

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