Zachary Carter

Career StatsD+

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		49	2.0	81	7.5
2025		4	0.0	13	0.5
2024		12	1.5	22	3
2023		17

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Zachary Carter's Contract Value Index lands at C, putting the deal in a defined slice of comparable signings. At $1.16M AAV across two years, his contract reflects his standing as a depth defensive tackle with minimal leverage — a price point consistent with rotational contributors rather than starters or developmental prospects. The 2025 season produced 13 tackles across four games, a limited sample that does little to justify claims of upside, and paired with a D+ performance grade, the production simply does not move the needle in his favor. At 27 and entering his fourth professional season, Carter is squarely in the prove-it phase of his career; the window for trajectory improvement is narrowing, and his current contract structure offers Arizona no long-term commitment risk while leaving him one poor camp or injury away from roster vulnerability. The recent wave of Arizona's roster activity — including secondary signings and linebacker moves — suggests the Cardinals are evaluating depth across multiple fronts, and Carter's quiet standing in that landscape (earning a C- sentiment grade) indicates he is not viewed as a centerpiece of the rebuild. His path forward depends entirely on establishing a defined role during training camp or capitalizing on an injury opportunity, as the current deal carries no guaranteed security and reflects his current market value with precision.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Zachary's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Zachary Carter produces at a tier that grades a D+ performance mark for Arizona. A fourth-year defensive tackle at 27 years old, Carter is operating well below the bar for a reliable starter, let alone a position anchor—his career résumé of two sacks and two forced fumbles across four seasons speaks to a player who has never established himself as a disruptive interior force. His 2025 season output of 13 tackles across just four games is a limited sample that offers little evidence of either elevated snaps or impact production. The durability concern compounds the grading problem: four games is a severe constraint, and whether that reflects injuries, depth-chart displacement, or scheme devaluation, the bottom line is the same—Carter has not logged the volume or performance needed to stake a claim to elevated offensive attention. As a rotational contributor fighting for roster real estate on a 3-14 Cardinals team that has added multiple defensive and offensive bodies this offseason, Carter's path forward runs entirely through a training camp breakthrough or injury luck; right now, he projects as fringe depth competing for a defined role rather than a building block.

How Zachary Compares at the Position

Zachary Carter ranks 142nd of 216 graded defensive tackles by performance. That slots Zachary between Treven Ma’ae (C-) just ahead and Ben Stille (D+) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Zachary Carter enters the 2026 offseason as one of the quieter names on Arizona's roster, and his C- sentiment grade captures that dynamic precisely — he's a player who registers almost no noise in either direction. The media footprint around Carter is almost entirely administrative: offseason roster profiles, a reported Cardinals visit, and transaction-level coverage that speaks to a player navigating roster bubble territory rather than generating genuine buzz. That muted perception aligns with a D- performance grade, as his 2025 season produced 13 tackles across just four games, a stat line that does little to build a compelling case for an expanded role. Arizona's recent wave of offseason signings — including defensive lineman Damonic Williams — only adds competitive noise to a depth chart where Carter is already fighting for a defined spot, further complicating an already thin perception narrative. The bottom line is straightforward: Carter occupies the quiet middle ground of a player known primarily to dedicated Cardinals followers, and without a standout training camp performance or a fortunate injury opening, there is little structural reason for that public perception to move meaningfully before the 2026 regular season kicks off.