Cardinals' Free Agency Day One grade

[Garthshort]

Nearly half the league makes the playoffs - hopefully the bar is higher than just squeaking in like we did 2 years ago and getting completely embarrassed.

"Gotta be in it to win it."

 

[Chopper0080]

I think the Cards make the playoffs in the next two years.

I do not. The NFC West is a tough mountain to climb.

 

[Stout]

I do not. The NFC West is a tough mountain to climb.

If we don't make the playoffs in the next 2 years, bye bye to Gannon, Monti and Co. And rightfully so. That would be an utter failure of a rebuild.

 

[Chopper0080]

If we don't make the playoffs in the next 2 years, bye bye to Gannon, Monti and Co. And rightfully so. That would be an utter failure of a rebuild.

I actually think Mike is going to let this ride for a bit. I think Gannon will be around 6 wins next year and then 8 wins the year after and will get a 4th season because of #progress.

 

[PlayerHater]

C- I expected them to go after at least one stud difference maker on D in FA considering they stripped the roster down to rebuild status to have cap space and flexibility this season. Guess the goal is to only give up the 3rd most points this season instead of the 2nd most.

 

[eastcoastDave]

That is exactly how not to plan a draft, to plug holes at positions of great need. That is how you reach and get bustolas. WR at 4 is a nice convergence of need and availability, but that may not be the case beyond 4.

Don’t agee at all. The Cardinals have many needs on both side of the ball and they need to be addressed. One of the old regime’s plans apparently was to continue to draft linebackers until the team had a stable full of No. 1s. Other needs were not addressed. Under your scenario, we’d continue to draft wide receivers if those were the best on the board. That is not how to build a team. You’ve got to put talent at as many positions as possible.

 

[kerouac9]

Don’t agee at all. The Cardinals have many needs on both side of the ball and they need to be addressed. One of the old regime’s plans apparently was to continue to draft linebackers until the team had a stable full of No. 1s. Other needs were not addressed. Under your scenario, we’d continue to draft wide receivers if those were the best on the board. That is not how to build a team. You’ve got to put talent at as many positions as possible.

The logical end for this is never have good players so you’re not limited in the draft.

 

[Stout]

I actually think Mike is going to let this ride for a bit. I think Gannon will be around 6 wins next year and then 8 wins the year after and will get a 4th season because of #progress.

That would be so Bidwillian.

 

[kerouac9]

Also, amongst all of our roster holes, here is our FA class after this year.

Froholdt - 29
Hernandez - 30
Baker - 29
White - 29
Conner - 30
Gardeck - 31
Rondale Moore - 25
Zaven Collins - 26

Froholdt, Moore, and Collins can play themselves into new contracts in-season. I'd think about extending White right now just to put him on the same deal as Mack Wilson.

Don't care about anyone else.

Isaiah Wynn, Jonah Williams, Connor Williams, Dalton Risner, Andrus Peat. All five are solid players. Though, it is an obvious risk that they might be overpaid by someone else.

And just to make it clear, I am not saying that I necessarily wish they would sign them. Just that upgrades are out there.

Wynn is a tackle. He played in seven games last year.
Jonah Williams is a tackle who is likely to make some money this year.
Connor Williams played in nine games last year for Miami.
Risner played 11 games for a pretty mid Vikings line.
Peat is a tackle who only started 12 games for a bad Vikes team.

If these guys are still out there next Monday, I'm interested. Most of them aren't worth getting in a bidding war for.

 

[BritCard]

So why couldn't we make those signings last year? You told me those players didn't exist.

Why would you make them last year and burn a year of their deal knowing your playing most of the season with a backup QB?

Would you take out a loan on a car you couldn't drive for a year and waste a year of payments?

 

[BritCard]

Froholdt, Moore, and Collins can play themselves into new contracts in-season. I'd think about extending White right now just to put him on the same deal as Mack Wilson.

Don't care about anyone else.


Wynn is a tackle. He played in seven games last year.
Jonah Williams is a tackle who is likely to make some money this year.
Connor Williams played in nine games last year for Miami.
Risner played 11 games for a pretty mid Vikings line.
Peat is a tackle who only started 12 games for a bad Vikes team.

If these guys are still out there next Monday, I'm interested. Most of them aren't worth getting in a bidding war for.

Yeah the FA guard market kinda sucks. Peat was a name once but was hidden on a great Saints O line, he's sucked for years.

Risner is probably the closest to a Will Hernandez level reclamation project there.

 

[Stout]

Why would you make them last year and burn a year of their deal knowing your playing most of the season with a backup QB?

Would you take out a loan on a car you couldn't drive for a year and waste a year of payments?

Moving the goal posts. You didn't argue it would be a bad idea; you said they didn't exist.

 

[BritCard]

Moving the goal posts. You didn't argue it would be a bad idea; you said they didn't exist.

It's two different arguments. I said good, young value players didn't exist because it seems your definition of that is more like my definition of mid tier guys on 3rd teams under 28.

But you have always had another argument that Monti should have made more of these moves last year and I think that wrong for the reason above. Why burn a year of payments for something you can't properly use until next year?

 

[Stout]

It's two different arguments. I said good, young value players didn't exist because it seems your definition of that is more like my definition of mid tier guys on 3rd teams under 28.

But you have always had another argument that Monti should have made more of these moves last year and I think that wrong for the reason above. Why burn a year of payments for something you can't properly use until next year?

Why do you care about payments? Nothing we would have done last year would have in any way hindered our ability to sign FA this season. It's not your money nor is it my money. Fans shouldn't care if Bidwill is paying more--especially if it makes the team better in the long run.

Say we signed two DTs like this last offseason. It wouldn't have been a gaping need, and adding a top-end Big John would have been the icing on the IDL cake. Instead, we went into FA with zero starters at the position.

 

[BurqueCardFan]

Why do you care about payments? Nothing we would have done last year would have in any way hindered our ability to sign FA this season. It's not your money nor is it my money. Fans shouldn't care if Bidwill is paying more--especially if it makes the team better in the long run.

Say we signed two DTs like this last offseason. It wouldn't have been a gaping need, and adding a top-end Big John would have been the icing on the IDL cake. Instead, we went into FA with zero starters at the position.

Agree. We could have made a few more of these signings last year. Like Kyzir White. They would have had a year in the system and been able to hit ground running this year.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Why do you care about payments? Nothing we would have done last year would have in any way hindered our ability to sign FA this season. It's not your money nor is it my money.

If the Cardinals had signed say Zach Allen last season, he would cost the Cardinals $19M in cap space this season. That’s way more than the 2024 cap hit of the players that signed so far this FA period. So yes it would have hindered their ability to go after players in FA. It would have cut a third of the available 2024 cap space for an average at best DT.

 

[football karma]

I think the Cards make the playoffs in the next two years.

if they dont, absent some really, really bad luck, its a giant fail

the NFL has a very strong gravitational pull to 8 or 9 wins

if you just try to win, you likely get there

 

[Mulli]

if they dont, absent some really, really bad luck, its a giant fail

the NFL has a very strong gravitational pull to 8 or 9 wins

if you just try to win, you likely get there

If they don't it means Kyler's leg fell off or he decided to play baseball or egames full time. In that case, Head coach Lincoln Riley can groom the next QB.

 

[Yuma]

Are we going for both a LG and RT/LT in the draft, or will we try for them in FA, or both?

Both for depth would be my preference.

 

[Yuma]

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Gotta save a boat load of rookie money for eleven draft picks that may soon be like 15 to 20! LMAO!

 

[Stout]

If the Cardinals had signed say Zach Allen last season, he would cost the Cardinals $19M in cap space this season. That’s way more than the 2024 cap hit of the players that signed so far this FA period. So yes it would have hindered their ability to go after players in FA. It would have cut a third of the available 2024 cap space for an average at best DT.

No, a 19 mill cap hit wouldn't have hindered us. At all.

Also, We aren't talking the re-signings. We're talking about the lower-money original signings in FA.

 

[Stout]

Both for depth would be my preference.

Both would also be my preference. It's not just for depth--we still don't have actual starters at those positions.

 

[Yuma]

No, a 19 mill cap hit wouldn't have hindered us. At all.

Also, We aren't talking the re-signings. We're talking about the lower-money original signings in FA.

The Broncos had to restructure Allen to create cap space. Granted we have cap space. Seeing NFL pundits say he wasn't worth the contract he got, plus now he has THREE Void years at the end of his contract with the Broncos as they kick the can down the road. Hopefully the Cards do not do THAT!

 

[Chopper0080]

Froholdt, Moore, and Collins can play themselves into new contracts in-season. I'd think about extending White right now just to put him on the same deal as Mack Wilson.

Don't care about anyone else.

It comes down to money of course. If I am looking at that group, I have to consider Fro, Hern, Conner, and White. Conner can probably wait until FA due to his age and position. There is a lot of time left, but I personally feel Monti better get moving a bit faster because his slow play isn't fast enough.

 

[Chopper0080]

Why would you make them last year and burn a year of their deal knowing your playing most of the season with a backup QB?

Would you take out a loan on a car you couldn't drive for a year and waste a year of payments?

We disagree on this. My answer is yes. The goal is to build and because you can't control FA classes or draft classes year to year, IMO, it is prudent to take advantage where and when you can. especially in terms of key positions. This roster would 100% be better off with both Murphy and Allen, and neither of those players would have prohibited any move we have made. Same goes with other equivalent FAs last year.