Jonathan Gannon wanted to make a point on Friday, after Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort had answered a question about what the team needed to get out of the upcoming draft.
There had been a word within the reporter's question the Cardinals coach wasn't going to let pass without comment.
"I didn't like the word 'rebuild,' " Gannon said. "I cringed."
"Our sole focus," Gannon noted, "is to win football games."
The draft will be crucial to make that happen, of course. Gannon doesn't want to delve into the mentality of a rebuild, but however it's viewed, the Cardinals need to replenish the roster – still far short of the 90 players needed for the offseason – starting with the draft next week.
Aside from who the Cardinals could pick at No. 3, which is an answer that isn't going to be forthcoming, the question is if the Cards will use that pick to move down and create more than the eight picks they currently are scheduled to make.
No. 3 figures to be valuable. How valuable? No way to truly know. Not yet.
"With any trade there has to be opportunity," said Ossenfort, adding those talks with other teams will ramp up next week.
Ossenfort said there were preliminary discussions with teams as far back as the Scouting combine in late February. The reality is that what might be available in a deal can't truly be known until the second pick is made and the Cardinals and the rest of the league know what players are available.
Ossenfort was asked about the quarterback class making an impact up high, but he acknowledged it was truthfully an unknown.
"I can't wait to see Monti work the phones on Thursday," Gannon said with a grin.
The Cardinals draft board is "95 percent done, and probably closer to 100 (percent)," Ossenfort said. Next up are the final draft meetings and picking through the hundreds of mock drafts out there, trying to account for every scenario and what the team would want to do if such a scenario occurred.
"Some of those mock drafts are accurate, some are crazy, but in all honesty one of the crazy ones might turn out to be right," Ossenfort said. "Like in a game, it's about reacting to what happens."
Images from the Arizona Cardinals new uniform reveal event in downtown Phoenix on April 20, 2023
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals reveal the new uniforms for the 2023 season at the Van Buren on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ.
