MadCards 2013 Offseason Plan

[MadCardDisease]

2013 will be a year of transition for the Cardinals. The Cardinals have already cleaned house with the Front office and Coaching Staff. The same theme will continue with the roster as the new staff starts fresh and has to make some difficult decisions.

BIG CUTS ON THE HORIZON:

Look for heads to roll and several cuts that may surprise everyone

• Kevin Kolb - New staff wants to bring in their guys and Kolb is just too expensive and fragile. Savings of $7.5 Million
• Stewart Bradley - What a joke of a signing that was. Savings of $3.5 Milion
• Kerry Rhodes - This cut will surprise many. Rhodes had a really good season last year. However he is due to make $6M this year and will want one more big contract. The fact that he is 30 makes me less concerned about letting him go. Savings of $5.0 Million
• Early Doucet - For what he makes can easily be replaced. Savings of $2 Million
• Jeff King - I think Jeff King is a decent TE. However I'm not sure he fits into the new scheme. Savings of $1.2 Million.
• Beanie Wells - Can't stay healthy. Time for the team to move on. Savings of $1.4 Million
• John Skelton - Terrible. Didn't show enough to hang around. Savings of $630K
• Adam Snyder - No savings from cutting Snyder. But frees up money for next year. Time to Cut bait on some bad signings. Why did we ever pay this guy?

Total savings from cuts: about $21 Million

This gives the Cardinals some money to work with. Assuming we are currently $3M over the cap and we need to set aside $5M for Rookies, that gives us around $13 Million for FA.


FA Pickups:

Cardinals need to add depth to the Roster. There are several players I would like to see them bring back. I don't expect any BIG name singings. However they will add a few middle tier Free Agents from other teams:

• Drew Stanton QB - Can hold you over till Rookie is ready to start. Cheap to Sign.
• Bryan Hoyer QB - Showed promise as a potential 2nd or 3rd stringer. Cheap to sign.
• Peyton Hillis RB - Can be had for realatively cheap. Still young. Durable.
• LSH RB - Versatile RB/Special Teamer. Realatively cheap.
• William Powell RB - Decent for depth at RB. Cheap
• Kevin Boothe OG/C - Mid Tier FA OL help. He is everything that Adam Snyder wasn't. Strong Run Blocker.
• Dannell Ellerbe ILB - Biggest signing of FA. Middle Teir defensive star who is just entering his Prime.
• Quentin Groves OLB - Showed great improvement. realatively cheap
• Greg Toler CB - Solid potential. realatively cheap
• Mike Adams CB - Does it all. Cheap
• James Sanders FS - Showed potential. Cheap.
• Rashad Johnson SS - Showed Flashes. Cheap.

DRAFT

Cards make Day 1 draft day trade with Miami:

Cardinals swap 1st's with Miami (Miami selects OT Eric Fisher to replace Jake Long), Cards throw in our 5th rounder and land Miami's extra 2nd round pick (#54 overall).

1st round* (#12) (*From Miami)

Dion Jordan OLB - Oregon
Deadly off the edge rushing the passer. Yet athletic enough to cover receivers.
​

2nd round (#38)

Tyler Wilson QB - Arkansas
Arians gets his young QB to start grooming for the starting spot. Wilson had a solid Senior Bowl and would give Cardinals fans hope for the future. Could be thrown into the mix early on.
​

2nd round* (#54) (*From Miami)

Jonathan Cyprien SS - Florida International
Adrian Wilson isn't getting any younger and Cyprien could be his replacement. Cyprien was another player from the Senior Bowl who really stood out to me. The kid was like a guided missle from day one. Loved how physical he played all week at the Senior Bowl. It might be a little early for him but I like the kids potential and passion for the game!

​

3rd round (#69)

Stepfan Taylor - RB - Stanford
Big powerful RB who is proven durable. Won't beat anyone with speed but can do it all.
​

4th round

Chris Harper - WR - Kansas State
Anquan Boldin reborn. Harper lit up the Senior Bowl and was too physical for most DBs to handle. He will replace Doucet who is cut for salary cap reasons.
​

6th round

Joe Kruger - DE - Utah
Huge Frame similar to Campbell. Adds depth to the DL replacing some older vets who are on their way to retirement.
​

6th round* (*from Vikings from Titans)

Terron Armstead - OT - Arkansas Pine Bluff
Small school prospect that showed a ton of potential at the E/W Shrine Game.
​

 

[kerouac9]

So... in this scenario, who's the starting right guard for the Arizona Cardinals, and who is the depth behind him?

Good work; these offseason plans take a ton of time.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

You can't cut Rhodes...He is way more productive than his salary...and their is nobody to replace him and his productivity, regardless of cost.

 

[kerouac9]

You can't cut Rhodes...He is way more productive than his salary...and their is nobody to replace him and his productivity, regardless of cost.

In MCD's scenario, it's definitely the most painful cut, but it's also important to understand that we're going to be a more traditional, less creative defense under Todd Bowles.

Here, we choose to keep Adrian Wilson over Kerry Rhodes, and Wilson will play a much more traditional Strong Safety role as an enforcer over the middle, while the free safety will be more of a traditional deep cover player. That deep role doesn't really make the most of Rhodes's skill set.

 

[BigRedRage]

IMO keep LSH or Powell, noth both. no offense should have two tiny scat backs.

Also, fitz, roberts, floyd...I wouldnt bother with a Wr in the draft, just low level FAs for 4th WR.

 

[MadCardDisease]

So... in this scenario, who's the starting right guard for the Arizona Cardinals, and who is the depth behind him?

Good work; these offseason plans take a ton of time.

Starting RG would be Kevin Boothe signed from the Giants with Senio Kelemete as the backup.


Colledge would remain the starting LG. Ideally I'd love to get rid of Colledge's huge cap number but cutting him doesn't seem feasable and then we would need another guard to fill his vacancy.

 

[Cardsfanstl]

I agree with most of your cuts but trading away the 7th pick for the 12th and then picking up a LB instead of our most glaring need which is the o-line does not make sense to me. If they trade the pick then #12 should be either the OT from Oklahoma named Johnson or the guard from North Carolina I think is Cooper. That is if Chance Warmack from Alabama is not available. If Warmack is available then he is the pick at #12.

 

[MadCardDisease]

In MCD's scenario, it's definitely the most painful cut, but it's also important to understand that we're going to be a more traditional, less creative defense under Todd Bowles.

Here, we choose to keep Adrian Wilson over Kerry Rhodes, and Wilson will play a much more traditional Strong Safety role as an enforcer over the middle, while the free safety will be more of a traditional deep cover player. That deep role doesn't really make the most of Rhodes's skill set.

My thoughts exactly.

There is the possibility that Rhodes could sign an extension to lower his cap hit this year. However I think Rhodes wants big money and I don't see the value there.

 

[MadCardDisease]

I agree with most of your cuts but trading away the 7th pick for the 12th and then picking up a LB instead of our most glaring need which is the o-line does not make sense to me. If they trade the pick then #12 should be either the OT from Oklahoma named Johnson or the guard from North Carolina I think is Cooper. That is if Chance Warmack from Alabama is not available. If Warmack is available then he is the pick at #12.

Offensive line is a possibility. However I can't get past the idea of adding a stud pass rusher to the defense. I'm not sold on our current OLBs. They are OK but I want Elite. Jordan could be Elite.

 

[MadCardDisease]

IMO keep LSH or Powell, noth both. no offense should have two tiny scat backs.

Also, fitz, roberts, floyd...I wouldnt bother with a Wr in the draft, just low level FAs for 4th WR.

Yeah Powell most likely will lose his roster spot if we draft a RB. However I wouldn't mind having Powell in training camp for depth.

I agree that WR isn't a big need. I just can't get past not drafting Harper who I fell in love with during Senior Bowl week.

 

[WildBB]

Offensive line is a possibility. However I can't get past the idea of adding a stud pass rusher to the defense. I'm not sold on our current OLBs. They are OK but I want Elite. Jordan could be Elite.

How about Warmack and Okafor and then trying a QB @54? Wilson is likely gone anyway.

Or try a draft where we don't address a QB this yr. What would that look like?
I'd probably try for Warmack or Cooper at 12 or Barrett Jones @38 Warford at 54 maybe, as I think 38 would be too early for him.

I like that you added a WR actually, in that you can get real good ones still in the 3rd and 4th Rds. this yr. What about TE??

 

[Chopper0080]

Good job on the offseason plan.


What I like:
-Cutting bait with one of the "overpaid three" on the offensive line. You can't get rid of all of them, but I like that you got rid of one.

-Going young at S. I like Cyprien, and I like the re-signing of Rashad Johnson. It may be inexperienced, but I like the idea of Cyprien, Johnson and Bethel.

-Revamping the QB position. I like the idea of drafting your #3 QB this year, but not having him blocked by contracts.

-I like the idea of adding FA RBs.

-I like Stepfan Taylor.


What I don't like:
-I think your offensive line solution is similar to our past signings of Colledge and Snyder. It adds more average talent, and still leaves us without a single premier lineman. Also, Armstead will likley go higher so that might be a bit optimistic.

-I don't like your FA options at RB. Hillis is a more expensive Powell and LSH can't handle the load. By cutting Wells you are essentially saying that Taylor will be the guy, and if that is the case, why sign 3 crappy RBs options. Money, not well spent.

-We still don't have a top end vertical receiving threat unless you are counting on jump balls down the field or Andre Roberts speed. I like Harper, not sure he fits when we will be challenged getting Fitzgerald, Floyd and Roberts the ball already.

-Will you even have another TE on the roster? Arians runs 12 personnel a good chunk of the time, and you are leaving our #2 TE as Dray and do not have a #3 TE on the roster. Pretty thin.

Again, good job. I like that you put a bunch of thought into this.

 

[MadCardDisease]

I like that you added a WR actually, in that you can get real good ones still in the 3rd and 4th Rds. this yr. What about TE??

Jim Dray and Rob Housler at TE. I'm thinking that Sherman is used in more of a blocking TE role as opposed to a traditional FB.

Originally I had SF TE Delanie Walker as a Free Agent signing but I'm not sure we can afford him. So I'm thinking they bring in some UDFA TEs or another cheap Vet at TE.

 

[Cardsfanstl]

Offensive line is a possibility. However I can't get past the idea of adding a stud pass rusher to the defense. I'm not sold on our current OLBs. They are OK but I want Elite. Jordan could be Elite.

I hear what you are saying and would like nothing better than a stud pass rusher but if our Qb is running for his life because our Oline sucks that should be our first priority. Lets wait and see what happens in free agency. Either of our points could be moot then because we might have an idea what direction the team is going in the draft.

 

[PJ1]

Really like Wilson pick in round 2 but Cardinals can't wait till the 6th round to go OL. This needs to be addressed in a big way.

 

[ARZCardinals]

Great work!!!

my only concern is the lack of O line skill players.

I can't see the Cards passing up Warmack at 7 just to upgrade the OLB position...which is already in decent shape. IMHO the gain of Warmack to Colledge is MUCH GREATER than from Acho or Groves to D Jordan. Add to it Warmack is the highest graded player coming out...you take him.

I for one am tired of the Cards not forcing the issue to get SKILL players on the O line. It's been a philosophy of .....well try him...and him. Let's see if he can play.

There's been very little emphasis...heck NO emphasis on drafting high skill O line players.

One shot at Levi Brown, which they swung and missed on isn't enough of an effort.

I fully expect the Cards to draft O line in the first and second round of the draft if not again in the 3rd. Have a solid crew of YOUNG O lineman that can play together for years to come.

Heck - I hope BA is getting on the phone with Jeff Saturday and seeing if he is up for playing another year. I'd LOVE to see that. He's a leader and would upgrade the entire line.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Really like Wilson pick in round 2 but Cardinals can't wait till the 6th round to go OL. This needs to be addressed in a big way.

This plan of mine assumes that the new Coaching staff can get the most out of the OL that we currently have on the roster.

I'm assuming that Brown/Colledge/Sendlein can regain some of the continuity they had in 2011. Then I'm banking on Boothe being an upgrade over Snyder at RG. Finally I'm assuming that the rookies from last year can improve upon the Experience they got from last year and that the new coaches can get the most out of them.

Tackle:
LT - Levi Brown
RT - Bobby Massie
Nate Potter
Terron Armstead (rookie)

Center:
C - Sendlein
Boothe as backup (FA)

Guard:
LG - Colledge
RG - Boothe (FA)
Kelemete
Ohrnberger

 

[Totally_Red]

Nice work! With the wealth of offensive line talent in this draft, there is absolutely no way that the Cardinals go another year virtually ignoring that area IMO. It's arguably the biggest area of weakness outside of quarterback.

 

[Zeno]

FA Pickups:

Cardinals need to add depth to the Roster. There are several players I would like to see them bring back. I don't expect any BIG name singings. However they will add a few middle tier Free Agents from other teams:

• Drew Stanton QB - Can hold you over till Rookie is ready to start. Cheap to Sign.
• Bryan Hoyer QB - Showed promise as a potential 2nd or 3rd stringer. Cheap to sign.
• Peyton Hillis RB - Can be had for realatively cheap. Still young. Durable.

• 
  
  Peyton Hillis has missed 9 games total the last 2 years...thats not "durable" in my mind. Compared to Ryan Williams he is an iron man but hardly durable.
  
  By comparison Beanie has missed 10 over the same span and scored 11 more TDs.

 

[kerouac9]

Peyton Hillis has missed 9 games total the last 2 years...thats not "durable" in my mind. Compared to Ryan Williams he is an iron man but hardly durable.

By comparison Beanie has missed 10 over the same span and scored 11 more TDs.

Also, Hillis is a complete and total nut-case.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

You can't cut Rhodes...He is way more productive than his salary...and their is nobody to replace him and his productivity, regardless of cost.

Rhodes is nowhere near a $6mill/year player. I think the F-tag number for a Safety is 6.8 mill. I'd give him no more than 3-3.5 mill year. If he doesn't accept it, cut him.

I like all the cuts and think they are reasonable. I would go a different direction in the draft but to each his own.

 

[JeffGollin]

Nice work! With the wealth of offensive line talent in this draft, there is absolutely no way that the Cardinals go another year virtually ignoring that area IMO. It's arguably the biggest area of weakness outside of quarterback.

Let me take that argument one step farther - If you believe the conventional wisdom, it's a down year for QB's and a deep year for offensive linemen.

As in - We're probably not going to find a QB of our dreams in this year's draft.

But we can get by with a sound "system QB" if he can operate behind a line that gives him time to do stuff.

Logical course of action - Build up the OL and go the system QB route (at least for now). That QB could wind up being Kolb, Stanton, Hoyer or someone from the outside, but at least we will have put the underpinnings of a good OL in place for years to come and can put the missing piece of a franchise QB in place when one finally comes along and according to our terms.

 

[Cards Czar]

If Miami wants to trade up then we demand the 54 pick and NO 5th rounder. When you move up you have to pay a premium and not the other way.

Graves is not here anymore to do those type of dum trades.

 

[MadCardDisease]

If Miami wants to trade up then we demand the 54 pick and NO 5th rounder. When you move up you have to pay a premium and not the other way.

Graves is not here anymore to do those type of dum trades.

I disagree. In this draft there is not much difference between pick #7 and pick #25. Therefore I don't think you can demand that much.

I based my trade on the NFL Draft Value chart which goes like this.

Value of Cardinals 1st and 5th rounder:
1500
38
Total 1538

Value of Dolphins 1st rounder and 2nd Rounder:
1200
360
Total 1560

So the Cardinals are still coming out ahead in my scenario and they are not getting fleeced like Graves did.

 

[MadCardDisease]

2013 will be a year of transition for the Cardinals. The Cardinals have already cleaned house with the Front office and Coaching Staff. The same theme will continue with the roster as the new staff starts fresh and has to make some difficult decisions.

BIG CUTS ON THE HORIZON:

Look for heads to roll and several cuts that may surprise everyone

• Kevin Kolb - New staff wants to bring in their guys and Kolb is just too expensive and fragile. Savings of $7.5 Million
• Stewart Bradley - What a joke of a signing that was. Savings of $3.5 Milion
• Kerry Rhodes - This cut will surprise many. Rhodes had a really good season last year. However he is due to make $6M this year and will want one more big contract. The fact that he is 30 makes me less concerned about letting him go. Savings of $5.0 Million
• Early Doucet - For what he makes can easily be replaced. Savings of $2 Million
• Jeff King - I think Jeff King is a decent TE. However I'm not sure he fits into the new scheme. Savings of $1.2 Million.
• Beanie Wells - Can't stay healthy. Time for the team to move on. Savings of $1.4 Million
• John Skelton - Terrible. Didn't show enough to hang around. Savings of $630K
• Adam Snyder - No savings from cutting Snyder. But frees up money for next year. Time to Cut bait on some bad signings. Why did we ever pay this guy?

Total savings from cuts: about $21 Million

This gives the Cardinals some money to work with. Assuming we are currently $3M over the cap and we need to set aside $5M for Rookies, that gives us around $13 Million for FA.


FA Pickups:

Cardinals need to add depth to the Roster. There are several players I would like to see them bring back. I don't expect any BIG name singings. However they will add a few middle tier Free Agents from other teams:

• Drew Stanton QB - Can hold you over till Rookie is ready to start. Cheap to Sign.
• Bryan Hoyer QB - Showed promise as a potential 2nd or 3rd stringer. Cheap to sign.
• Peyton Hillis RB - Can be had for realatively cheap. Still young. Durable.
• LSH RB - Versatile RB/Special Teamer. Realatively cheap.
• William Powell RB - Decent for depth at RB. Cheap
• Kevin Boothe OG/C - Mid Tier FA OL help. He is everything that Adam Snyder wasn't. Strong Run Blocker.
• Dannell Ellerbe ILB - Biggest signing of FA. Middle Teir defensive star who is just entering his Prime.
• Quentin Groves OLB - Showed great improvement. realatively cheap
• Greg Toler CB - Solid potential. realatively cheap
• Mike Adams CB - Does it all. Cheap
• James Sanders FS - Showed potential. Cheap.
• Rashad Johnson SS - Showed Flashes. Cheap.

DRAFT

Cards make Day 1 draft day trade with Miami:

Cardinals swap 1st's with Miami (Miami selects OT Eric Fisher to replace Jake Long), Cards throw in our 5th rounder and land Miami's extra 2nd round pick (#54 overall).

1st round* (#12) (*From Miami)

Dion Jordan OLB - Oregon
Deadly off the edge rushing the passer. Yet athletic enough to cover receivers.
​

2nd round (#38)

Tyler Wilson QB - Arkansas
Arians gets his young QB to start grooming for the starting spot. Wilson had a solid Senior Bowl and would give Cardinals fans hope for the future. Could be thrown into the mix early on.
​

2nd round* (#54) (*From Miami)

Jonathan Cyprien SS - Florida International
Adrian Wilson isn't getting any younger and Cyprien could be his replacement. Cyprien was another player from the Senior Bowl who really stood out to me. The kid was like a guided missle from day one. Loved how physical he played all week at the Senior Bowl. It might be a little early for him but I like the kids potential and passion for the game!

​

3rd round (#69)

Stepfan Taylor - RB - Stanford
Big powerful RB who is proven durable. Won't beat anyone with speed but can do it all.
​

4th round

Chris Harper - WR - Kansas State
Anquan Boldin reborn. Harper lit up the Senior Bowl and was too physical for most DBs to handle. He will replace Doucet who is cut for salary cap reasons.
​

6th round

Joe Kruger - DE - Utah
Huge Frame similar to Campbell. Adds depth to the DL replacing some older vets who are on their way to retirement.
​

6th round* (*from Vikings from Titans)

Terron Armstead - OT - Arkansas Pine Bluff
Small school prospect that showed a ton of potential at the E/W Shrine Game.
​

So far the Cardinals are pretty much tracking my initial offseason plan. However I think I might be leaning OL early in the draft depending on who we pick up in the next few weeks of FA.

I like the Mendenhall pickup way better than my prediction of Peyton Hillis. I didn't think we would be able to afford Mendenhall. So landing him on a 1 year $2.5M deal was a fantastic signing.

I really wanted Ellerbe at ILB but he commanded way more money than I was expecting.

Would have liked to have Toler back but he too got paid way more than I was expecting. Powers is a fine trade off and is someone who Arians is familiar with.

Cribbs for LSH is a fine trade off for me as well.

Later I will have to update my Mock draft in a few weeks as we get a better idea of who will be on the team as we enter the draft.