There is a lot of projecting going into this, as I obviously don’t know who will be available.
My hope every year is to basically have the roster set before the draft, so that they don’t need to reach for any players. It never happens, but that hasn’t stopped me before.
1 – On defense I would re-sign Tre Boston, David Amerson, Markus Golden, Rodney Gunter and Benson Mayowa.
I thought all of them played well last season, and I see Boston as a core player while I think the four others would be good rotation players.
With Robert Alford in the squad, Amerson would most likely be relegated to backup to Alford and Peterson (I don’t think Amerson can play in the slot very well), but those guys are a lot on the field anyway.
I thought Golden played well considering he was coming of an ACL.
I could see Rodney Gunter and Mayowa being part of a strong defensive line rotation.
2 – On offense I would re-sign Joe Barkesdale, Mike Glennon, and keep John Wetzel, D. J. Foster and Ricky Seals-Jones with tenders.
I think Mike Glennon seems like a good backup quarterback, so I would keep him, if for nothing else so that not everything would be new to Josh Rosen.
I would actually try to replace Barkesdale, but once again it became way too clear that you need good backup offensive linemen. I would put John Wetzel in that category as well.
I think Ricky Seals-Jones and D. J. Foster seems like good fits in Kingsbury’s presumed offensive system.
3 – I would say that offensive line, defensive line, wide receiver and inside linebacker are the weakest positions on the team, so that is where I would spend the money, and I am signing more than one free agent at each position group. I would also say that this team played so bad last year that reinforcement are welcome at almost every spot.
4 – Say they do re-sign Gunter and Mayowa, that would make a defensive line rotation of Corey Peters, Nkemdiche, Gunter and Mayowa (I think he could gain weight and play the technique), and then some guys most people have never heard of. That’s not enough, but I wouldn’t spend huge dollars on defensive linemen either.
Henry Anderson has been good with both the Colts and the Jets, and I think he could do well next to Corey Peters. If he doesn’t get at least an above average contract in free agency I would say he is underrated.
Ethan Westbrooks is kind of the forgotten man in the Rams’ defensive line rotation after they signed Suh. Now, that might change when Suh probably changes team this year, but then again, maybe it won’t. Westbrook isn’t a great player, but he seemed to always create plays or at least affect the offense when he was on the field – primarily two years ago. His best position was probably nose tackle, but he can play all positions on the line.
Jordan Phillips from the Bills were a second round pick by the Dolphins, and he played like it in a limited role in Buffalo. In Miami, on the other hand, he was a major draft bust.
5 – I actually thought Gerald Hodges and Haason Reddick played well last year, and with Josh Bynes coming back, and them potentially re-signing Bucannon, maybe inside linebacker isn’t that big of a need. Having said that, in my scenario neither Hodges or Bucannon would be re-signed, and, going buy what Vance Joseph did in Denver, I think you need at least four good inside linebackers in Joseph’s system. So, the baseline is that I think they need at least two inside linebackers.
To me, it’s remarkedly often players changes teams inside the division during free agency (I don’t have anything to back that up, so I could be way off), which brings me to linebacker K. J. Wright from the Seahawks. I think he is good in run support, and downright great in coverage. I could see him man the middle, and never have to get off field. Yes, he missed a big part of last season with injuries, but he came back to play well in the last part of the season, so it doesn’t really concern me.
6 – I think it is possible to make some coup in the linebacker market, because, for various reasons, some of them are not considered core players, yet I think they could still be very good signings. Now, if I am right, the teams obviously knows that too, so maybe these players do in fact end up getting great deals.
Jordan Hicks from the Eagles has been injured way too often in his career so far, but when he is on the field he is very, very good. In fact, it has been that way since his college career at Texas.
Kyle Emanuel has been a very good linebacker for the Chargers for three years, and it might be worth remembering that for two years Vance Joseph has played against him twice every year.
Damien Wilson has appeared in every Cowboys game since they drafted him in 2015, but he is nowhere near a core player behind longtime Cowboy Sean Lee and the two standouts Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch. Wilson is, though, a very good player who might excel in a bigger role with another team.
7 – I think there are several offensive linemen who will probably command huge contracts - probably way more than above average offensive linemen got some years ago. Cap space is mightily overrated, though, and the fact is that it’s a supply-and-demand thing. If someone are willing to hand out the required contract, then the player is worth it. That’s just how it works.
Offensive guard Rodger Saffold started every game on the Rams’ vaunted offensive line, and he played at a high level. He will surely get a very big contract. Keim has obviously not saved any money trying to upgrade the offensive line through the years, and I certainly don’t think he should start now.
Ja’Wuan James has been a very good right tackle with the Dolphins for years now, and I would be surprised if he reached the open market, though the rumor is that he will. I’m sure many teams will rank him as the best available offensive tackle if he do become available, and that will obviously reflect his contract, but again, I don’t think the Cardinals can afford to be cheap with the offensive line.
It’s the same deal with offensive tackle Daryl Williams. Now, he missed almost all of last year, and that coupled with the fact that he is coming off injury could lower his market value. On the other hand, he would be arguably the best offensive tackle on the market (it would be he or James if both were available), and that could increase his market value. Before last year he was commonly known as the best right tackle in the NFL.
8 – I think there is some good lesser known offensive linemen as well who could be of interest to the Cardinals.
Denver Broncos’ offensive guard Max Garcia is coming off an ACL he suffered after a few weeks of last season. Before he was not a great player, but he was solid. He reportedly had a great camp under Sean Kugler’s supervision.
Like Garcia, offensive guard John Miller from the Bills have not been a great player for them, but also like Garcia, Miller became a starter right from his rookie year, and he has been solid for the Bills since.
Cedric Ogbuehi has been a draftbust with the Bengals, but injuries has probably played a part in that, and I believe they never tried him at offensive guard, which was considered his best position going into the draft. Some think a chance of scenery is just what he needs.
9 – Does the Vance Joseph-Denver Broncos-connection lead to something? Edge rusher Shane Ray are scheduled to become a free agent. Obviously Joseph know him well, and Ray know Joseph well. That could be both positive and negative. You can never have enough pass rushers, so even though they might have Chandler Jones, Markus Golden, and maybe even one from the draft, they could use Ray. It’s probably worth remembering, though, that Joseph made Ray a healthy scratch in one game late in the season.
Bradley Roby could be a dark horse with Joseph’s knowledge of him, and Joseph’ background as a defensive backs coach. He has even brought two defensive backs coaches with him from Denver. The team has obviously just paid Robert Alford, but Roby has had some success as a nickel corner with the Broncos, so I wouldn’t completely count him out. Especially if they don’t re-sign Amerson.
10 – Well, we have to go there. There is something brewing between the Cardinals and Antonio Brown. That I have no doubt about, simply because there is too much smoke. I obviously can’t say if it materialize to something, and I am heavily in doubt of what I hope for. Antonio Brown is the best receiver in the NFL, and he can potentially transform an offense. Also, there’s probably no doubt that he will be one of the hardest workers on the team since many reports has stated this throughout his tenure with the Steelers. On the other hand, he is an idiot. I don’t know. If it happens, I will be happy about that. If it doesn’t happen, I will be happy about that.
P.S. I don’t care about the compensation. I think this is one of the situation where you have to be either all in or all out, so I don’t think there’s any point in saying that you would only do it for like a third rounder or so. If you think he can be the All Pro we have seen for years, why wouldn’t you want to pay for it? If you think he causes problems in the locker room, why would you even want him anyway?
11 - The wide receiver market doesn’t seem to be that impressive, but I still think there is some interesting options, and that all of them would fit Kingsbury’s presumed offensive system well. Some of them would probably be expensive, but like I said in the beginning, this is one spot were I don’t think the Cardinals can afford to be cheap.
Wide receiver Tyrell Williams from the Chargers has been underrated for years (or, maybe he has actually been in his right spot behind studs like Keenan Allen and Mike Williams). Williams is a very good downfield receiver which could, in my opinion, be a good complement to the current group.
Jamison Crowder was injured a lot last season, but when healthy, he is one of the best slot receivers in the league, and his blazing speeds makes him a great deep threat.
In simplistic terms, Adam Humphries is more or less the same type of player as Crowder, and since Humphries came into the league as an undrafted free agent four years ago, he has improved every year. Knowing Bruce Arians, I doubt they will let Humphries go, but on the other hand, because of what I just mentioned about his improvements, he might cost too much for a team that already are paying receivers Mike Evans and Desean Jackson a lot of money.
12 – Besides those more proven receivers, I think there are some intriguing options in the “take a chance on that guy”-category.
Chris Conley from the Chiefs has a great blend of speed, physicality and athleticism, and he has been a steady contributor with both Georgia in college and the Chiefs in the NFL. He just hasn’t ever quite put it all together, but his potential is huge.
Tom Clements and David Raih has ties to Randall Cobb who has been a very good receiver for the Packers for years. He hasn’t ever been their best receiver, though, and he hasn’t played a 16 game season since 2015 either.
Well, you all know John Brown. If I remember it correctly, Steve Keim only let Brown walk because of injuries, but Brown was healthy all last season, so who knows?
13 – Since they signed Charles Clay it could seem that he is the type of tight end Kingsbury prefers, which is a pass catcher first and an average to above average blocker second.
Maxx Williams (yeah, I know, somewhat weird way of spelling that name) from the Ravens could be a better version of Clay. Williams was a second round pick out of Minnesota, but he has never quite lived up to it in Baltimore. He does have all the tools, though, so maybe he just needs a change of scenery.
14 – A little personal dream of mine is to bring back Tyrann Mathieu. Yes yes, I know it won’t happen, and I know many posters will disagree with me, but I really liked Mathieu and, to me, he is one of the “culture builders” in the Cardinals organization. Someone who other players can see and think “look, Tyrann Mathieu made it with this organization, so I can do it too.” Or “look, Tyrann Mathieu was a great leader and inspirator with this organization. I want to be that too.” Someone who Michael Bidwill, the general manager at that time, the head coach at that time and everyone else in the organization can use as an example of “the Cardinals DNA”, if I can put it like that, and I think that is an important element in both organization- and team building.
Yes, I know Budda Baker now does many of the things that Mathieu did, but surely a good enough coordinator can deploy both of them in effective ways.
15 – If this was completely up to me (which it should be), I would sign Henry Anderson, Ethan Westbrook, K. J. Wright, Kyle Emanuel, Tyrann Mathieu, Chris Conley, Jamison Crowder, Maxx Williams and Bradley Roby.
My hope every year is to basically have the roster set before the draft, so that they don’t need to reach for any players. It never happens, but that hasn’t stopped me before.
1 – On defense I would re-sign Tre Boston, David Amerson, Markus Golden, Rodney Gunter and Benson Mayowa.
I thought all of them played well last season, and I see Boston as a core player while I think the four others would be good rotation players.
With Robert Alford in the squad, Amerson would most likely be relegated to backup to Alford and Peterson (I don’t think Amerson can play in the slot very well), but those guys are a lot on the field anyway.
I thought Golden played well considering he was coming of an ACL.
I could see Rodney Gunter and Mayowa being part of a strong defensive line rotation.
2 – On offense I would re-sign Joe Barkesdale, Mike Glennon, and keep John Wetzel, D. J. Foster and Ricky Seals-Jones with tenders.
I think Mike Glennon seems like a good backup quarterback, so I would keep him, if for nothing else so that not everything would be new to Josh Rosen.
I would actually try to replace Barkesdale, but once again it became way too clear that you need good backup offensive linemen. I would put John Wetzel in that category as well.
I think Ricky Seals-Jones and D. J. Foster seems like good fits in Kingsbury’s presumed offensive system.
3 – I would say that offensive line, defensive line, wide receiver and inside linebacker are the weakest positions on the team, so that is where I would spend the money, and I am signing more than one free agent at each position group. I would also say that this team played so bad last year that reinforcement are welcome at almost every spot.
4 – Say they do re-sign Gunter and Mayowa, that would make a defensive line rotation of Corey Peters, Nkemdiche, Gunter and Mayowa (I think he could gain weight and play the technique), and then some guys most people have never heard of. That’s not enough, but I wouldn’t spend huge dollars on defensive linemen either.
Henry Anderson has been good with both the Colts and the Jets, and I think he could do well next to Corey Peters. If he doesn’t get at least an above average contract in free agency I would say he is underrated.
Ethan Westbrooks is kind of the forgotten man in the Rams’ defensive line rotation after they signed Suh. Now, that might change when Suh probably changes team this year, but then again, maybe it won’t. Westbrook isn’t a great player, but he seemed to always create plays or at least affect the offense when he was on the field – primarily two years ago. His best position was probably nose tackle, but he can play all positions on the line.
Jordan Phillips from the Bills were a second round pick by the Dolphins, and he played like it in a limited role in Buffalo. In Miami, on the other hand, he was a major draft bust.
5 – I actually thought Gerald Hodges and Haason Reddick played well last year, and with Josh Bynes coming back, and them potentially re-signing Bucannon, maybe inside linebacker isn’t that big of a need. Having said that, in my scenario neither Hodges or Bucannon would be re-signed, and, going buy what Vance Joseph did in Denver, I think you need at least four good inside linebackers in Joseph’s system. So, the baseline is that I think they need at least two inside linebackers.
To me, it’s remarkedly often players changes teams inside the division during free agency (I don’t have anything to back that up, so I could be way off), which brings me to linebacker K. J. Wright from the Seahawks. I think he is good in run support, and downright great in coverage. I could see him man the middle, and never have to get off field. Yes, he missed a big part of last season with injuries, but he came back to play well in the last part of the season, so it doesn’t really concern me.
6 – I think it is possible to make some coup in the linebacker market, because, for various reasons, some of them are not considered core players, yet I think they could still be very good signings. Now, if I am right, the teams obviously knows that too, so maybe these players do in fact end up getting great deals.
Jordan Hicks from the Eagles has been injured way too often in his career so far, but when he is on the field he is very, very good. In fact, it has been that way since his college career at Texas.
Kyle Emanuel has been a very good linebacker for the Chargers for three years, and it might be worth remembering that for two years Vance Joseph has played against him twice every year.
Damien Wilson has appeared in every Cowboys game since they drafted him in 2015, but he is nowhere near a core player behind longtime Cowboy Sean Lee and the two standouts Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch. Wilson is, though, a very good player who might excel in a bigger role with another team.
7 – I think there are several offensive linemen who will probably command huge contracts - probably way more than above average offensive linemen got some years ago. Cap space is mightily overrated, though, and the fact is that it’s a supply-and-demand thing. If someone are willing to hand out the required contract, then the player is worth it. That’s just how it works.
Offensive guard Rodger Saffold started every game on the Rams’ vaunted offensive line, and he played at a high level. He will surely get a very big contract. Keim has obviously not saved any money trying to upgrade the offensive line through the years, and I certainly don’t think he should start now.
Ja’Wuan James has been a very good right tackle with the Dolphins for years now, and I would be surprised if he reached the open market, though the rumor is that he will. I’m sure many teams will rank him as the best available offensive tackle if he do become available, and that will obviously reflect his contract, but again, I don’t think the Cardinals can afford to be cheap with the offensive line.
It’s the same deal with offensive tackle Daryl Williams. Now, he missed almost all of last year, and that coupled with the fact that he is coming off injury could lower his market value. On the other hand, he would be arguably the best offensive tackle on the market (it would be he or James if both were available), and that could increase his market value. Before last year he was commonly known as the best right tackle in the NFL.
8 – I think there is some good lesser known offensive linemen as well who could be of interest to the Cardinals.
Denver Broncos’ offensive guard Max Garcia is coming off an ACL he suffered after a few weeks of last season. Before he was not a great player, but he was solid. He reportedly had a great camp under Sean Kugler’s supervision.
Like Garcia, offensive guard John Miller from the Bills have not been a great player for them, but also like Garcia, Miller became a starter right from his rookie year, and he has been solid for the Bills since.
Cedric Ogbuehi has been a draftbust with the Bengals, but injuries has probably played a part in that, and I believe they never tried him at offensive guard, which was considered his best position going into the draft. Some think a chance of scenery is just what he needs.
9 – Does the Vance Joseph-Denver Broncos-connection lead to something? Edge rusher Shane Ray are scheduled to become a free agent. Obviously Joseph know him well, and Ray know Joseph well. That could be both positive and negative. You can never have enough pass rushers, so even though they might have Chandler Jones, Markus Golden, and maybe even one from the draft, they could use Ray. It’s probably worth remembering, though, that Joseph made Ray a healthy scratch in one game late in the season.
Bradley Roby could be a dark horse with Joseph’s knowledge of him, and Joseph’ background as a defensive backs coach. He has even brought two defensive backs coaches with him from Denver. The team has obviously just paid Robert Alford, but Roby has had some success as a nickel corner with the Broncos, so I wouldn’t completely count him out. Especially if they don’t re-sign Amerson.
10 – Well, we have to go there. There is something brewing between the Cardinals and Antonio Brown. That I have no doubt about, simply because there is too much smoke. I obviously can’t say if it materialize to something, and I am heavily in doubt of what I hope for. Antonio Brown is the best receiver in the NFL, and he can potentially transform an offense. Also, there’s probably no doubt that he will be one of the hardest workers on the team since many reports has stated this throughout his tenure with the Steelers. On the other hand, he is an idiot. I don’t know. If it happens, I will be happy about that. If it doesn’t happen, I will be happy about that.
P.S. I don’t care about the compensation. I think this is one of the situation where you have to be either all in or all out, so I don’t think there’s any point in saying that you would only do it for like a third rounder or so. If you think he can be the All Pro we have seen for years, why wouldn’t you want to pay for it? If you think he causes problems in the locker room, why would you even want him anyway?
11 - The wide receiver market doesn’t seem to be that impressive, but I still think there is some interesting options, and that all of them would fit Kingsbury’s presumed offensive system well. Some of them would probably be expensive, but like I said in the beginning, this is one spot were I don’t think the Cardinals can afford to be cheap.
Wide receiver Tyrell Williams from the Chargers has been underrated for years (or, maybe he has actually been in his right spot behind studs like Keenan Allen and Mike Williams). Williams is a very good downfield receiver which could, in my opinion, be a good complement to the current group.
Jamison Crowder was injured a lot last season, but when healthy, he is one of the best slot receivers in the league, and his blazing speeds makes him a great deep threat.
In simplistic terms, Adam Humphries is more or less the same type of player as Crowder, and since Humphries came into the league as an undrafted free agent four years ago, he has improved every year. Knowing Bruce Arians, I doubt they will let Humphries go, but on the other hand, because of what I just mentioned about his improvements, he might cost too much for a team that already are paying receivers Mike Evans and Desean Jackson a lot of money.
12 – Besides those more proven receivers, I think there are some intriguing options in the “take a chance on that guy”-category.
Chris Conley from the Chiefs has a great blend of speed, physicality and athleticism, and he has been a steady contributor with both Georgia in college and the Chiefs in the NFL. He just hasn’t ever quite put it all together, but his potential is huge.
Tom Clements and David Raih has ties to Randall Cobb who has been a very good receiver for the Packers for years. He hasn’t ever been their best receiver, though, and he hasn’t played a 16 game season since 2015 either.
Well, you all know John Brown. If I remember it correctly, Steve Keim only let Brown walk because of injuries, but Brown was healthy all last season, so who knows?
13 – Since they signed Charles Clay it could seem that he is the type of tight end Kingsbury prefers, which is a pass catcher first and an average to above average blocker second.
Maxx Williams (yeah, I know, somewhat weird way of spelling that name) from the Ravens could be a better version of Clay. Williams was a second round pick out of Minnesota, but he has never quite lived up to it in Baltimore. He does have all the tools, though, so maybe he just needs a change of scenery.
14 – A little personal dream of mine is to bring back Tyrann Mathieu. Yes yes, I know it won’t happen, and I know many posters will disagree with me, but I really liked Mathieu and, to me, he is one of the “culture builders” in the Cardinals organization. Someone who other players can see and think “look, Tyrann Mathieu made it with this organization, so I can do it too.” Or “look, Tyrann Mathieu was a great leader and inspirator with this organization. I want to be that too.” Someone who Michael Bidwill, the general manager at that time, the head coach at that time and everyone else in the organization can use as an example of “the Cardinals DNA”, if I can put it like that, and I think that is an important element in both organization- and team building.
Yes, I know Budda Baker now does many of the things that Mathieu did, but surely a good enough coordinator can deploy both of them in effective ways.
15 – If this was completely up to me (which it should be), I would sign Henry Anderson, Ethan Westbrook, K. J. Wright, Kyle Emanuel, Tyrann Mathieu, Chris Conley, Jamison Crowder, Maxx Williams and Bradley Roby.
