Post Free Agency Frenzy Mock Draft & Roster Prediction

[RugbyMuffin]

The Free Agency Frenzy Period:

Well......that was definitely interesting. Never since being a "hardcore" Cardinals fan have I seen that kind of action from our front office. Whether you cannot stand the moves this organization has made or you love them, you have to admit things are a little different when it comes to multi-tasking and speed. While the decisions of who was brought in is debatable, I cannot see where a fan would be unhappy with how the Cardinals were able to "compete" with other teams in free agency. Point being, I feel if this organization wants a player, they will, and can go out and get them.

Now, as for the free agent moves this organization made, and there are probably going to be a couple more signings, but unless Josh Cribbs or Kevin Boothe sign at some point, I doubt anything happens till after the draft. There is reason behind what they did.

It is quite obvious to me that this organization just cleaned house. The Cardinals are going to live and die by the draft, starting this year. Yep, scary, but in my personal opinion, I agree with how they are taking on rebuilding the roster. So, let me start off by saying, if the Cardinals go 7-9 next season that would be AMAZING. Thus when I am describing players, potential and the future, please keep in mind that the tippy top of the ceiling for 2013, in my opinion is 7-9, and again that is if things go 100% in the Cardinals favor next season.

Cleaning out:
The Cardinals cleaned out their roster. It was painful for a fan to watch, but it is what it is. The Cardinals released, or let go 17 players from last year's 53 man roster (18 total).

Released/Cut:
Stewart Bradley
William Gay
Adrian Wilson
Early Doucet
Chris Wells
Foswhitt Whittaker
Kerry Rhodes
Kevin Kolb

Left via Free Agency:
Michael Adams
D'Anthony Batiste
Nick Eason
Quentin Groves
Vonnie Holliday
Paris Lenon
Pat McQuistan
Rich Ohrnberger
James Sanders
LaRod Stephens-Howling
Greg Toler

Retained Players (Re-Signed):
Rashad Johnson, S
Tim Fugger, OLB
Ricky Lumpkin, NT
Colin Parker, ILB
Everrette Thompson, DE
Jeremiah Warren, OG
Blake DeChristopher, OG

Obviously, Rashad Johnson is the biggest name here. A good depth guy who can start need be.

Tendered Players:
William Powell, RB
Alfonso Smith, RB
Ronald Talley, DE
Brian Hoyer, QB

I see two players, and possibly a worse case third player that will make the final roster. Brian Hoyer has the inside track to be our 2nd/3rd string QB cause I doubt Skelton, or Lindley are in anyone's plans unless, again, a worse case situation comes into play at QB. I hope William Powell is our fourth RB, and again, worse case, maybe Antonio Smith makes the roster, but that is doubtful.


The 3 Year Contract:
The length and setup of the contracts the Cardinals gave out in free agency are more of a story then the players picked up in free agency. Why ? Cause next season, any of the players can be cut, and it will free up cap space for that year.

What ? How ? OK, I will tell you. When it comes to the basics of contracts, you have to look no further then going to www.overthecap.com (down right now). It shows the reprocussions of cutting players and there current contracts.

So, on to my example. Say a player is signed for 3 yrs for 3 million dollars. The SALARY is not going to be 1 million a year. For cap reasons it will be an increase of 30% from the year before, and when added up will equal 3 million total over three years, see below:

1 - $751,879.70
2 - $977,443.60
3 - $1,270,676.60

Those numbers are not guarateed, and are paid out throughout the year.

The signing bonus (for the sake of keeping it basic that is all we will talk about) is guaranteed money, paid at the time of signing, but it is included in the players cap figure each year. Let's say that the 3 million, 3yr contract comes with a 1.5 million signing bonus. Again, its paid to the player at the time of him signing but it is counted against the cap equally each year.

1 - $500,000
2 - $500,000
3 - $500,000

Now to figure out what it costs to cut a player, is his cap figure for that year, minus his total bonus money left on the contract.

1st Year:
Cap Figure (Salary: $751,879.70 + Bonus: 500,000) - Total Bonus (1,500,000)

So, cutting a player in there 1st year of the contract cost the team about 250k towards the cap, and puts 1.5 million dollars of dead money onto the cap as well.

But, by the second year of a 3 year contract the player becomes cuttable. There is still going to be dead money toward the cap, but it will also free up cap space.

2nd Year:
Cap Figure (Salary: $977,443.60 + Bonus: 500,000) - Total Bonus (1,000,000)

So, cutting this player in the second year of his contract, will free about about 500k in cap space, but put 1 million dollars of dead money into the cap as well. Yet, the point is, the player can be cut the next season without much cap damage.

The Cardinals did not sign one free agent this year, to a contract that was more than 3 years in length, and that includes Rashad Johnson who was resigned. Furthermore, there are only 5 players on the entire roster that have more then 3 years on there contract, and two of them, Levi Brown, and Daryn Colledge have contracts that make them "cuttable" next offseason. The other three players that have more than 3 years on their contracts are: Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell, and Daryl Washington.

It would not happen but except for Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell, and Daryl Washington, the Cardinals could cut the entire roster next season, and it would all be positive toward creating cap space, there would be a lot of dead money but I am just making a point.

So, if you don't like one of the free agent signings, then don't sweat it. It is not the noose around the organizations neck like the HORRIBLE contracts we gave Adam Snyder, Daryn Colledge and Kevin Kolb. The contracts signed this offseason are (keyword here) manageable contacts.


The Free Agents:

1. Rashard Mendenhall, RB
2. Drew Stanton, QB
3. Jerraud Powers, CB
4. Yeremiah Bell, S
5. Lorenzo Alexander, OLB <-- He is going to play OLB for the Cardinals.
6. Jasper Brinkley, ILB
7. Antoine Cason, CB
8. Matt Shaughnessy, DE

There are some things the fan base have to come to grips with, and mind you I am not saying that what I am describing here are going to produce a 14 win playoff team, or that these players are going to produce and succeed in the roles they will be put into. I am just giving my thoughts on what the plan will be, and how these players will be used. Again, I think this is AT ABSOLUTE BEST a 7-9 team.

So, without getting into the specifics for each player, all of them are going to be starting next year, except Matt Shaughnessy and either Jerraud Powers/Antoine Cason. I personally think Antoine Cason is going to be playing on the outside, and Jerraud Powers with be playing nickel back, but we will see. Cason may go to safety. Yet, for now I will be putting Cason at cornerback, and as I go through this post, you will see it won't really matter where they are put, since they are going to be #2, and #3 in one way or another.

Pre-Draft Roster:

I am not concerned with the 90 man camp roster at this point. I am more concerned with the final 45 man active game day roster. I understand the NFL roster is 53 men, but each game day the team can only have 45 guys active, and that is who I am looking at right now.

- (game day inactives in italics)
- *: These players are going to have to fight to keep there spots with other camp players.

QB:
1 - Drew Stanton
2 - Brian Hoyer
46 - [OPEN]

RB:
3 - Rashard Mendenhall
4 - Ryan Williams
5 - [OPEN]
6 - William Powell

FB:
7 - Anthony Sherman

WR:
8 - Larry Fitzgerald
9 - Michael Floyd
10 - Andre Roberts
11 - LaRon Byrd
12 - [OPEN]

TE:
13 - Jeff King
14 - Rob Housler
15 - [OPEN]

OL:
16 - Levi Brown
17 - Bobby Massie
18 - Nate Potter
19 - [OPEN]
20 - [OPEN]
21 - Lyle Sendlein
22 - Adam Snyder
47 - Senio Kelemete*

DL:
23 - Calais Campbell
24 - Darnell Dockett
25 - Dan Williams
26 - David Carter
27 - Matt Shaughnessy
48 - [OPEN]

OLB [Rush Linebacker]:
28 - Sam Acho
29 - Lorenzo Alexander
30 - O'Brien Schofield
31 - [OPEN]

ILB:
32 - Daryl Washington
33 - Jasper Brinkley
34 - Reggie Walker
49 - [OPEN]

CB:
35 - Patrick Peterson
36 - Antoine Cason
37 - Jerraud Powers
38 - Jamel Flemming
39 - Justin Bethel

S:
40 - Yeremiah Bell
41 - Rashad Johnson
42 - [OPEN]
50 - [OPEN]

ST:
43 - Jay Feely
44 - Dave Zastudil
45 - Mike Leach

Extra - Injured - Inactives
51 - TBD
52 - TBD
53 - TBD

So, per my analysis there are 14 open spots on the 53 man roster as it stands right now, and 7 of those spots will be taken up by drafted players. Thus the Cardinals have 7 drafted players to bring in, and then another 7 spots to fill with undrafted free agents (UDFA), guys already on the roster, and free agent pickups that will be signed after the draft.

Not only that, to break it down further, there are currently 6 open spots for the 45 man active game day roster, which one can safely assume will be filled by players that are drafted in April.


BPA + Need = Mock Draft
Ok. Now that we have looked at what we have, let's look at things going forward. Every team has needs. Not to say that you draft for need, but it plays into every team's draft board whether they admit it or not. Take the 2nd round pick. Say Jonathan Banks (CB), Margus Hunt (DL) and Alex Okafor (OLB) are all there. Okafor is the pick cause while all three are good players for that spot when talking BPA, Okafor is the best player available that suits the Cardinals.

Yeah, I agree, that is some thin logic but it seems to be the way these things work. Now Whiz, and company did BPA to the death of the team. Ryan Williams, Beanie Wells, Michael Floyd and some other ridiculous picks that were definitely BPA, but didn't help his team, roster, or himself. It is a balance, IMO.

Now, can I dive into the head of the Cardinals front office and tell you what they are going to do ? Nope. Not a chance, but I can give you my mock based on what is out there, and based on what the roster looks like TODAY.

Mock Draft:

Note: This is MY MOCK draft. I will breakdown the draft even more later on in this post. But for now, my mock:

1 - Chance Warmack, OG
2 - Alex Okafor, OLB
3 - Barrett Jones, OG/OC/OT
4 - Shaun Williams, S
5 - Matt Scott, QB
6 - Michael Williams, TE
6 - Vince Williams, ILB

UDFA - that will make the roster:
- Derrick Washington, RB/KR
- Roy Roundtree, WR/KR
- Jose Jose, NT* <---fight with Ricky Lumpkin.

Which will give us the follow roster:

- (game day inactives in italics)
- *: These players are going to have to fight to keep there spots with other camp players.

QB:
1 - Drew Stanton
2 - Brian Hoyer
46 - Matt Scott

RB:
3 - Rashard Mendenhall
4 - Ryan Williams
5 - Derrick Washington
6 - William Powell

FB:
7 - Anthony Sherman

WR:
8 - Larry Fitzgerald
9 - Michael Floyd
10 - Andre Roberts
11 - LaRon Byrd
12 - Roy Roundtree

TE:
13 - Jeff King
14 - Rob Housler
15 - Michael Williams

OL:
16 - Levi Brown
17 - Bobby Massie
18 - Nate Potter
19 - Chance Warmack
20 - Barrett Jones
21 - Lyle Sendlein
22 - Adam Snyder
47 - Senio Kelemete*

DL:
23 - Calais Campbell
24 - Darnell Dockett
25 - Dan Williams
26 - David Carter
27 - Matt Shaughnessy
48 - Jose Jose*

OLB [Rush Linebacker]:
28 - Sam Acho
29 - Lorenzo Alexander
30 - O'Brien Schofield
31 - Alex Okafor

ILB:
32 - Daryl Washington
33 - Jasper Brinkley
34 - Reggie Walker
49 - Vince Williams

CB:
35 - Patrick Peterson
36 - Antoine Cason
37 - Jerraud Powers
38 - Jamel Flemming
39 - Justin Bethel

S:
40 - Yeremiah Bell
41 - Rashad Johnson
42 - Shaun Williams
50 - Tyrone Culver, James Sanders *see below

ST:
43 - Jay Feely
44 - Dave Zastudil
45 - Mike Leach

Extra - Injured - Inactives
51 - TBD
52 - TBD
53 - TBD

Thus leaving us with some open spots, still. The spots for the 51, 52, and 53 positions in the rosters, I am not going to address in this post. Injuries, and unexpected situations will fill these spots. The only spot left open is the final safety position. To fill that open spot, the Cardinals can sign a Todd Bowles guy in Tyrone Culver, or James Sanders.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Breaking it Down and Then Some

Well, there you go. That is a 7-9 at best roster if I have ever saw one, but with a good plan, and a good young core, IMO. The quarterback position is a mess, obviously, but it is better then last year (my goodness, what a thing to type).

Yet, my cards (lol, pun) are on the table. That is what I see going down. Of course, what that means in regards to what will actually happen ? Nada. Zip. Zilch. Just my opinion.

So, what about options ? What about looking at all the possibilities. OK.

The free agent situation is, what it is. Can't go back in time and change things. The only wild card is Elvis Dumerville, whom if the Cardinals pick up, you won't hear me complaining. He is a proven pass rusher, and better than anything in this year's draft, IMO. If they pick up Dumerville then the second round pick becomes extremely interesting.

Getting back to the draft, here are my options at each round:

1st Round:
a - Chance Warmack, OG
b - Luke Joeckel, OT
c - Eric Fischer, OT
d - Dee Milliner, CB
e - Dion Jordan, OLB

2nd Round:
a - Alex Okafor, OLB
b - Menelik Watson, OT
c - Kenny Vaccaro, S
d - Jonathan Cyprien, S

3rd Round:
a - Landry Jones*, QB
b - Barrett Jones, OG/OC/OT
c - T.J. MacDonald, S
d - Dan Quessenberry, OC/OG
e - Terron Armstead, OG/OT
f - Brian Schwienke, OC

4th Round:
a - Shaun Williams, S
b - La'Veon Bell, HB
c - Christine Michael, HB
d - * a lot of the 3rd rounds may slide to this round *

5th Round:
a - Matt Scott, QB
b - Duke Williams, S
c - Josh Boyce, WR
d - Knile Davis, HB
e - Eric Wolf, S
f - Spencer Ware, HB
g - A.J. Klein, ILB

6th Round (2 picks):
a - Michael Williams, TE
b - Vince Williams, ILB
c - Stansly Maponga, OLB
d - Travis Howard, CB
e - Ray Ray Armstrong, S
f - Sean Renfree, QB
g - Copper Taylor, S

UDFA:
- Colin Klein, QB
- Brad Sorensen, QB
- Montel Harris, RB
- Derrick Washington, RB
- Cameron Marshall, RB
- Washaun Easley, RB
- Michael Dyer, RB
- Roy Roundtree, WR
- Mark Harrison, WR
- Emory Blake, WR
- Ben Cotton, TE
- Jose Jose, NT
- Omar Hunter, DE
- Ben Steinkuler, DE
- Dan Giordano, OLB
- Feti Unga, ILB
- Kenny Okoro, CB

Possible Free Agent Signings after the Draft:
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB
- Byron Leftwich, QB
- :keep: John Skelton, QB
- Mewelde Moore, RB
- :keep: Alfonso Smith, RB
- Josh Cribbs, WR
- Devery Henderson, WR
- Dallas Clark, TE
- Donte Rosario, TE
- :keep: Daryn Colledge, OG
- Antonio Johnson, NT
- :keep: Ricky Lumpkin, NT
- Larry Grant, ILB
- Brad Jones, ILB
- Tyrone Culver, S
- James Sanders, S

Ok, that is about as much as I can breakdown the situation for now.

Hope this makes at least a little sense.....I am going to go watch hockey.

 

[CtCardinals78]

Awesome write up Rugby. If the Cards can land Warmack and Jones I'd be pumped. They may at best be a 7-9 team this year, but they should be really good by 2015. We should see steady improvement in the next three years.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

Great read. Thanks for the effort. One thing you don't specifically mention is Colledge. Looks like you have us cutting him.

I like the logic.

Have we been linked to Dumervil? I have heard the cap is going up in two years. I think we should take shot at him on a longer deal. A big signing bonus ($15M) and low numbers the first two years($1M), guarantee something in the 3rd year and have high salaries in year 3-5. I'm not sure why teams haven't done this, really. The whole one year phenomenon is interesting.

 

[GuernseyCard]

A lot to think about. Have the feeling, however, that a QB in the second round may be a higher priority than some suspect.

 

[Catfish]

Muffin, that was a very solid piece of work indeed. I like your logic, and the amount of work you put into this post must have been remarkable. I hope that the posters here understand the fluidity of the draft, (so that they are not all ready to pounce on you for your predictions), because just 1 selection early in the draft changing, can cause the whole draft to be much different. I applaud you for your work here, and like you, I am anxious for the draft.

I will say though, that I believe that we are still going to be a player in free agency as it goes along. The money has obviously begun to dry up for teams, and some very good players are not going to get near what they normally would have gotten in free agency. I think that we are in good shape to pick up one or two more at a very reasonable price. I fully expect us to be looking at a veteran safety, and maybe even an offensive lineman if one can be had for a low cost, short term contract this year.

Thank you for the time and effort that you put into your post. Like you, I am enthusiastic about the amount of work that the scouts, the front office, and the coaching staff has done, and the consensus plan that they have come up with in such a short period of time. I might even feel a little better than you do about the signings we have made thus far, because I feel that they have put us in great position to exploit what this draft brings this year by way of Pass Rushers, Safeties, and O-Linemen. I look to see us taking one of each, who hopefully can contribute yet this year to some extent.

As you so astutely described, the best part of all this, is the ability to get in, (and out of), the contracts that we signed in free agency. Next year, I look for us to again use free agency again to set us up for the draft, so that we can improve once again. More than anything though, I am anxious to see if Keim, (in light of the quickness and agility he has already displayed as a GM), has the mental agility to parlay the draft into a method of acquiring extra picks, (say for next year), while still getting what we need this year out of it. New England, San Francisco, and Seattle have all been successful at doing this, and I am anxious to see if we too can join that club.

Meanwhile, I look forward to this year, and am already of the belief that, (while we may lose games), it will not be for lack of effort, or for lack of good coaching strategy applied, it will simply be because we are not yet as talented a some of our competitors are. I can live with that for now, because I am convinced that we will win some games that no one gives us a chance to win. That nearly always happens when you put a bunch of confident, young, self-starters on the field, and give them great coaching and strategy to put them in position to make plays. With BA's propensity to play situational football, (third downs, red-zone, last two minutes of halves etc.), then you are in good position to steal a game or two throughout the season. This should be fun, because even a loss is easier to take, when you play smart, and play hard, and I believe we will do both.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

A lot to think about. Have the feeling, however, that a QB in the second round may be a higher priority than some suspect.

Agreed.

I was thinking about that while watching hockey.

The best my conscience will allow me to handle is the following:

1 - Warmack
2 - Okafor <--- talent at OLB just drops too steeply after 2nd for me.
3 - Landry Jones
4 - Dan Quessenberry, OC/OG
5 - Duke Williams, S
6 - M.Williams, TE
6 - V.Williams, ILB

He probably won't be there in the third round, but you never know. At that point I think Landry Jones is worth the pick.

My mindset is the Cardinals will be going for a QB no matter what in 2014.

If Jones is never used or ends up being a backup for life, so what? Just a 3rd round pick.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Well you're obviously in love with guys with the last name Williams.

A little confusion over Justin Bethel. I thought he entered the draft as a FS and he was also on the depth chart and shows up on the roster as a safety as well. He is also on the depth chart as one of the backup corners, but I am pretty sure he is considered to be a safety on our roster.

If it were up to me Kelemete wouldn't be the one fighting for the roster spot it would be Snyder.

Now for the nit-picky part. I would assume that Okafor as a second round pick would be higher on the depth chart than Schofield.

I would also be surprised if an undrafted rookie came in and pushed Powell to the 4th spot at RB.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to put this together. It was a good read.

 

[GuernseyCard]

Well you're obviously in love with guys with the last name Williams.

A little confusion over Justin Bethel. I thought he entered the draft as a FS and he was also on the depth chart and shows up on the roster as a safety as well. He is also on the depth chart as one of the backup corners, but I am pretty sure he is considered to be a safety on our roster.

If it were up to me Kelemete wouldn't be the one fighting for the roster spot it would be Snyder.

Now for the nit-picky part. I would assume that Okafor as a second round pick would be higher on the depth chart than Schofield.

I would also be surprised if an undrafted rookie came in and pushed Powell to the 4th spot at RB.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to put this together. It was a good read.

Bethel: read that, in fact, they've been trying to turn him into a corner.

Kelemete: He might be wise to consider training himself as a centre and become the super-sub at the three interior positions. As it stands, we know that Snyder can play 4 positions and there lies his value, as it gives game day roster flexibility.

 

[juza76]

i think jamie collins is much better then okeafor..to have success in nfl u need some quickness..okeafor doesnt have..

 

[Darkside]

The Free Agency Frenzy Period:

Well......that was definitely interesting. Never since being a "hardcore" Cardinals fan have I seen that kind of action from our front office. Whether you cannot stand the moves this organization has made or you love them, you have to admit things are a little different when it comes to multi-tasking and speed. While the decisions of who was brought in is debatable, I cannot see where a fan would be unhappy with how the Cardinals were able to "compete" with other teams in free agency. Point being, I feel if this organization wants a player, they will, and can go out and get them.

Now, as for the free agent moves this organization made, and there are probably going to be a couple more signings, but unless Josh Cribbs or Kevin Boothe sign at some point, I doubt anything happens till after the draft. There is reason behind what they did.

It is quite obvious to me that this organization just cleaned house. The Cardinals are going to live and die by the draft, starting this year. Yep, scary, but in my personal opinion, I agree with how they are taking on rebuilding the roster. So, let me start off by saying, if the Cardinals go 7-9 next season that would be AMAZING. Thus when I am describing players, potential and the future, please keep in mind that the tippy top of the ceiling for 2013, in my opinion is 7-9, and again that is if things go 100% in the Cardinals favor next season.

Cleaning out:
The Cardinals cleaned out their roster. It was painful for a fan to watch, but it is what it is. The Cardinals released, or let go 17 players from last year's 53 man roster (18 total).

Released/Cut:
Stewart Bradley
William Gay
Adrian Wilson
Early Doucet
Chris Wells
Foswhitt Whittaker
Kerry Rhodes
Kevin Kolb

Left via Free Agency:
Michael Adams
D'Anthony Batiste
Nick Eason
Quentin Groves
Vonnie Holliday
Paris Lenon
Pat McQuistan
Rich Ohrnberger
James Sanders
LaRod Stephens-Howling
Greg Toler

Retained Players (Re-Signed):
Rashad Johnson, S
Tim Fugger, OLB
Ricky Lumpkin, NT
Colin Parker, ILB
Everrette Thompson, DE
Jeremiah Warren, OG
Blake DeChristopher, OG

Obviously, Rashad Johnson is the biggest name here. A good depth guy who can start need be.

Tendered Players:
William Powell, RB
Alfonso Smith, RB
Ronald Talley, DE
Brian Hoyer, QB

I see two players, and possibly a worse case third player that will make the final roster. Brian Hoyer has the inside track to be our 2nd/3rd string QB cause I doubt Skelton, or Lindley are in anyone's plans unless, again, a worse case situation comes into play at QB. I hope William Powell is our fourth RB, and again, worse case, maybe Antonio Smith makes the roster, but that is doubtful.


The 3 Year Contract:
The length and setup of the contracts the Cardinals gave out in free agency are more of a story then the players picked up in free agency. Why ? Cause next season, any of the players can be cut, and it will free up cap space for that year.

What ? How ? OK, I will tell you. When it comes to the basics of contracts, you have to look no further then going to www.overthecap.com (down right now). It shows the reprocussions of cutting players and there current contracts.

So, on to my example. Say a player is signed for 3 yrs for 3 million dollars. The SALARY is not going to be 1 million a year. For cap reasons it will be an increase of 30% from the year before, and when added up will equal 3 million total over three years, see below:

1 - $751,879.70
2 - $977,443.60
3 - $1,270,676.60

Those numbers are not guarateed, and are paid out throughout the year.

The signing bonus (for the sake of keeping it basic that is all we will talk about) is guaranteed money, paid at the time of signing, but it is included in the players cap figure each year. Let's say that the 3 million, 3yr contract comes with a 1.5 million signing bonus. Again, its paid to the player at the time of him signing but it is counted against the cap equally each year.

1 - $500,000
2 - $500,000
3 - $500,000

Now to figure out what it costs to cut a player, is his cap figure for that year, minus his total bonus money left on the contract.

1st Year:
Cap Figure (Salary: $751,879.70 + Bonus: 500,000) - Total Bonus (1,500,000)

So, cutting a player in there 1st year of the contract cost the team about 250k towards the cap, and puts 1.5 million dollars of dead money onto the cap as well.

But, by the second year of a 3 year contract the player becomes cuttable. There is still going to be dead money toward the cap, but it will also free up cap space.

2nd Year:
Cap Figure (Salary: $977,443.60 + Bonus: 500,000) - Total Bonus (1,000,000)

So, cutting this player in the second year of his contract, will free about about 500k in cap space, but put 1 million dollars of dead money into the cap as well. Yet, the point is, the player can be cut the next season without much cap damage.

The Cardinals did not sign one free agent this year, to a contract that was more than 3 years in length, and that includes Rashad Johnson who was resigned. Furthermore, there are only 5 players on the entire roster that have more then 3 years on there contract, and two of them, Levi Brown, and Daryn Colledge have contracts that make them "cuttable" next offseason. The other three players that have more than 3 years on their contracts are: Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell, and Daryl Washington.

It would not happen but except for Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell, and Daryl Washington, the Cardinals could cut the entire roster next season, and it would all be positive toward creating cap space, there would be a lot of dead money but I am just making a point.

So, if you don't like one of the free agent signings, then don't sweat it. It is not the noose around the organizations neck like the HORRIBLE contracts we gave Adam Snyder, Daryn Colledge and Kevin Kolb. The contracts signed this offseason are (keyword here) manageable contacts.


The Free Agents:

1. Rashard Mendenhall, RB
2. Drew Stanton, QB
3. Jerraud Powers, CB
4. Yeremiah Bell, S
5. Lorenzo Alexander, OLB <-- He is going to play OLB for the Cardinals.
6. Jasper Brinkley, ILB
7. Antoine Cason, CB
8. Matt Shaughnessy, DE

There are some things the fan base have to come to grips with, and mind you I am not saying that what I am describing here are going to produce a 14 win playoff team, or that these players are going to produce and succeed in the roles they will be put into. I am just giving my thoughts on what the plan will be, and how these players will be used. Again, I think this is AT ABSOLUTE BEST a 7-9 team.

So, without getting into the specifics for each player, all of them are going to be starting next year, except Matt Shaughnessy and either Jerraud Powers/Antoine Cason. I personally think Antoine Cason is going to be playing on the outside, and Jerraud Powers with be playing nickel back, but we will see. Cason may go to safety. Yet, for now I will be putting Cason at cornerback, and as I go through this post, you will see it won't really matter where they are put, since they are going to be #2, and #3 in one way or another.

Pre-Draft Roster:

I am not concerned with the 90 man camp roster at this point. I am more concerned with the final 45 man active game day roster. I understand the NFL roster is 53 men, but each game day the team can only have 45 guys active, and that is who I am looking at right now.

- (game day inactives in italics)
- *: These players are going to have to fight to keep there spots with other camp players.

QB:
1 - Drew Stanton
2 - Brian Hoyer
46 - [OPEN]

RB:
3 - Rashard Mendenhall
4 - Ryan Williams
5 - [OPEN]
6 - William Powell

FB:
7 - Anthony Sherman

WR:
8 - Larry Fitzgerald
9 - Michael Floyd
10 - Andre Roberts
11 - LaRon Byrd
12 - [OPEN]

TE:
13 - Jeff King
14 - Rob Housler
15 - [OPEN]

OL:
16 - Levi Brown
17 - Bobby Massie
18 - Nate Potter
19 - [OPEN]
20 - [OPEN]
21 - Lyle Sendlein
22 - Adam Snyder
47 - Senio Kelemete*

DL:
23 - Calais Campbell
24 - Darnell Dockett
25 - Dan Williams
26 - David Carter
27 - Matt Shaughnessy
48 - [OPEN]

OLB [Rush Linebacker]:
28 - Sam Acho
29 - Lorenzo Alexander
30 - O'Brien Schofield
31 - [OPEN]

ILB:
32 - Daryl Washington
33 - Jasper Brinkley
34 - Reggie Walker
49 - [OPEN]

CB:
35 - Patrick Peterson
36 - Antoine Cason
37 - Jerraud Powers
38 - Jamel Flemming
39 - Justin Bethel

S:
40 - Yeremiah Bell
41 - Rashad Johnson
42 - [OPEN]
50 - [OPEN]

ST:
43 - Jay Feely
44 - Dave Zastudil
45 - Mike Leach

Extra - Injured - Inactives
51 - TBD
52 - TBD
53 - TBD

So, per my analysis there are 14 open spots on the 53 man roster as it stands right now, and 7 of those spots will be taken up by drafted players. Thus the Cardinals have 7 drafted players to bring in, and then another 7 spots to fill with undrafted free agents (UDFA), guys already on the roster, and free agent pickups that will be signed after the draft.

Not only that, to break it down further, there are currently 6 open spots for the 45 man active game day roster, which one can safely assume will be filled by players that are drafted in April.


BPA + Need = Mock Draft
Ok. Now that we have looked at what we have, let's look at things going forward. Every team has needs. Not to say that you draft for need, but it plays into every team's draft board whether they admit it or not. Take the 2nd round pick. Say Jonathan Banks (CB), Margus Hunt (DL) and Alex Okafor (OLB) are all there. Okafor is the pick cause while all three are good players for that spot when talking BPA, Okafor is the best player available that suits the Cardinals.

Yeah, I agree, that is some thin logic but it seems to be the way these things work. Now Whiz, and company did BPA to the death of the team. Ryan Williams, Beanie Wells, Michael Floyd and some other ridiculous picks that were definitely BPA, but didn't help his team, roster, or himself. It is a balance, IMO.

Now, can I dive into the head of the Cardinals front office and tell you what they are going to do ? Nope. Not a chance, but I can give you my mock based on what is out there, and based on what the roster looks like TODAY.

Mock Draft:

Note: This is MY MOCK draft. I will breakdown the draft even more later on in this post. But for now, my mock:

1 - Chance Warmack, OG
2 - Alex Okafor, OLB
3 - Barrett Jones, OG/OC/OT
4 - Shaun Williams, S
5 - Matt Scott, QB
6 - Michael Williams, TE
6 - Vince Williams, ILB

UDFA - that will make the roster:
- Derrick Washington, RB/KR
- Roy Roundtree, WR/KR
- Jose Jose, NT* <---fight with Ricky Lumpkin.

Which will give us the follow roster:

- (game day inactives in italics)
- *: These players are going to have to fight to keep there spots with other camp players.

QB:
1 - Drew Stanton
2 - Brian Hoyer
46 - Matt Scott

RB:
3 - Rashard Mendenhall
4 - Ryan Williams
5 - Derrick Washington
6 - William Powell

FB:
7 - Anthony Sherman

WR:
8 - Larry Fitzgerald
9 - Michael Floyd
10 - Andre Roberts
11 - LaRon Byrd
12 - Roy Roundtree

TE:
13 - Jeff King
14 - Rob Housler
15 - Michael Williams

OL:
16 - Levi Brown
17 - Bobby Massie
18 - Nate Potter
19 - Chance Warmack
20 - Barrett Jones
21 - Lyle Sendlein
22 - Adam Snyder
47 - Senio Kelemete*

DL:
23 - Calais Campbell
24 - Darnell Dockett
25 - Dan Williams
26 - David Carter
27 - Matt Shaughnessy
48 - Jose Jose*

OLB [Rush Linebacker]:
28 - Sam Acho
29 - Lorenzo Alexander
30 - O'Brien Schofield
31 - Alex Okafor

ILB:
32 - Daryl Washington
33 - Jasper Brinkley
34 - Reggie Walker
49 - Vince Williams

CB:
35 - Patrick Peterson
36 - Antoine Cason
37 - Jerraud Powers
38 - Jamel Flemming
39 - Justin Bethel

S:
40 - Yeremiah Bell
41 - Rashad Johnson
42 - Shaun Williams
50 - Tyrone Culver, James Sanders *see below

ST:
43 - Jay Feely
44 - Dave Zastudil
45 - Mike Leach

Extra - Injured - Inactives
51 - TBD
52 - TBD
53 - TBD

Thus leaving us with some open spots, still. The spots for the 51, 52, and 53 positions in the rosters, I am not going to address in this post. Injuries, and unexpected situations will fill these spots. The only spot left open is the final safety position. To fill that open spot, the Cardinals can sign a Todd Bowles guy in Tyrone Culver, or James Sanders.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Breaking it Down and Then Some

Well, there you go. That is a 7-9 at best roster if I have ever saw one, but with a good plan, and a good young core, IMO. The quarterback position is a mess, obviously, but it is better then last year (my goodness, what a thing to type).

Yet, my cards (lol, pun) are on the table. That is what I see going down. Of course, what that means in regards to what will actually happen ? Nada. Zip. Zilch. Just my opinion.

So, what about options ? What about looking at all the possibilities. OK.

The free agent situation is, what it is. Can't go back in time and change things. The only wild card is Elvis Dumerville, whom if the Cardinals pick up, you won't hear me complaining. He is a proven pass rusher, and better than anything in this year's draft, IMO. If they pick up Dumerville then the second round pick becomes extremely interesting.

Getting back to the draft, here are my options at each round:

1st Round:
a - Chance Warmack, OG
b - Luke Joeckel, OT
c - Eric Fischer, OT
d - Dee Milliner, CB
e - Dion Jordan, OLB

2nd Round:
a - Alex Okafor, OLB
b - Menelik Watson, OT
c - Kenny Vaccaro, S
d - Jonathan Cyprien, S

3rd Round:
a - Landry Jones*, QB
b - Barrett Jones, OG/OC/OT
c - T.J. MacDonald, S
d - Dan Quessenberry, OC/OG
e - Terron Armstead, OG/OT
f - Brian Schwienke, OC

4th Round:
a - Shaun Williams, S
b - La'Veon Bell, HB
c - Christine Michael, HB
d - * a lot of the 3rd rounds may slide to this round *

5th Round:
a - Matt Scott, QB
b - Duke Williams, S
c - Josh Boyce, WR
d - Knile Davis, HB
e - Eric Wolf, S
f - Spencer Ware, HB
g - A.J. Klein, ILB

6th Round (2 picks):
a - Michael Williams, TE
b - Vince Williams, ILB
c - Stansly Maponga, OLB
d - Travis Howard, CB
e - Ray Ray Armstrong, S
f - Sean Renfree, QB
g - Copper Taylor, S

UDFA:
- Colin Klein, QB
- Brad Sorensen, QB
- Montel Harris, RB
- Derrick Washington, RB
- Cameron Marshall, RB
- Washaun Easley, RB
- Michael Dyer, RB
- Roy Roundtree, WR
- Mark Harrison, WR
- Emory Blake, WR
- Ben Cotton, TE
- Jose Jose, NT
- Omar Hunter, DE
- Ben Steinkuler, DE
- Dan Giordano, OLB
- Feti Unga, ILB
- Kenny Okoro, CB

Possible Free Agent Signings after the Draft:
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB
- Byron Leftwich, QB
- :keep: John Skelton, QB
- Mewelde Moore, RB
- :keep: Alfonso Smith, RB
- Josh Cribbs, WR
- Devery Henderson, WR
- Dallas Clark, TE
- Donte Rosario, TE
- :keep: Daryn Colledge, OG
- Antonio Johnson, NT
- :keep: Ricky Lumpkin, NT
- Larry Grant, ILB
- Brad Jones, ILB
- Tyrone Culver, S
- James Sanders, S

Ok, that is about as much as I can breakdown the situation for now.

Hope this makes at least a little sense.....I am going to go watch hockey.

Great write-up Rugby. Appreciate the effort and research that went into this. I still hold out hope that we win more than 7 games, but looking at it purely from a roster and talent perspective definitely spikes the koolaid.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Well you're obviously in love with guys with the last name Williams.

Must have spent a good 3 hrs thinking of a way not to have a mock draft with guys named Williams.

Ridiculous.

You could add Jessie Williams, DT to the 2nd round, and Duke Williams, S to the 5th round and still have a decent draft.

Cardinals would have

R. Williams
M.Williams
Da. Williams
J. Williams
V.Williams
S.Williams
Du.Williams

Maybe pick up Nick Williams as UDFA?

I could buy a custom Cardinals jersey and put Williams on it, and probably walk right onto the field. Rugby Williams.

 

[MrYeahBut]

Thanks for working this up Rugby.. I know we all hope the [open] spot you have at OLB turns out to be at least a decent edge rusher.

.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Thanks for working this up Rugby.. I know we all hope the [open] spot you have at OLB turns out to be at least a decent edge rusher.

.

If they can find a pass rusher better than O'Brien Schofield that works within there current financial situation then cut Schofield and sign said player.

I.E. Elvis Dumerville


I like Okafor because he fits the type of player the Cardinals are trying to gather.

 

[Cardiac]

WOW. Truly appreciate the effort and thought that went into this post Not only did you put a lot of insightful ideas into this put it's also a great reference piece since there has been so many changes.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Bethel: read that, in fact, they've been trying to turn him into a corner.

Kelemete: He might be wise to consider training himself as a centre and become the super-sub at the three interior positions. As it stands, we know that Snyder can play 4 positions and there lies his value, as it gives game day roster flexibility.

Too bad Snyder is pretty much terrible at all 4 positions..

 

[GuernseyCard]

Too bad Snyder is pretty much terrible at all 4 positions..

Watch the Detroit game. Suh wouldn't agree with you.

 

[CardLogic]

The Free Agency Frenzy Period:

Well......that was definitely interesting. Never since being a "hardcore" Cardinals fan have I seen that kind of action from our front office. Whether you cannot stand the moves this organization has made or you love them, you have to admit things are a little different when it comes to multi-tasking and speed. While the decisions of who was brought in is debatable, I cannot see where a fan would be unhappy with how the Cardinals were able to "compete" with other teams in free agency. Point being, I feel if this organization wants a player, they will, and can go out and get them.

I appreciate all the effort you put into this. But your first paragraph was the most important part of the post!

Released/Cut:
Stewart Bradley
William Gay
Adrian Wilson
Early Doucet
Chris Wells
Foswhitt Whittaker
Kerry Rhodes
Kevin Kolb

Wouldn't Todd Heap be included among the cuts?

And I thought I read somewhere that Colledge counts for $7 mill against the cap if cut... If that is accurate, he won't be going anywhere this year.

 

[Capt'nCard]

The Free Agency Frenzy Period:



Note: This is MY MOCK draft. I will breakdown the draft even more later on in this post. But for now, my mock:

1 - Chance Warmack, OG
2 - Alex Okafor, OLB
3 - Barrett Jones, OG/OC/OT
4 - Shaun Williams, S
5 - Matt Scott, QB
6 - Michael Williams, TE
6 - Vince Williams, ILB


Hope this makes at least a little sense.....I am going to go watch hockey.

I LOVE Barrett Jones. getting Warmack and Jones in the 3rd is a home run. He is a winner who can play in all 3 positions. This sets up the line for years to come.

 

[PJ1]

Thanks for this Rugby. Great stuff. Warmack and Jones would have me doing back flips. I say we go QB in round 2.

 

[GatorAZ]

Too bad Snyder is pretty much terrible at all 4 positions..

This. One of the worst rated OL in football. Tiny sample size of "minor" success is nothing to get excited about. He just looks old and uncoordinated out there. Eat the 4m of dead money and be clear for 2014.

Great job as usual RM.

 

[Chopper0080]

i think jamie collins is much better then okeafor..to have success in nfl u need some quickness..okeafor doesnt have..

I agree, I believe Jaime Collins would be a better fit at OLB in a 3-4 and in the 2nd round than Okeafor.

 

[john h]

Awesome write up Rugby. If the Cards can land Warmack and Jones I'd be pumped. They may at best be a 7-9 team this year, but they should be really good by 2015. We should see steady improvement in the next three years.

You put an awesome amount of work into this post. For that alone you get an "A". My only comment is I think we need to draft a QB with our second pick or even our first if the GM thinks he is worth it. The QB position will forever be the most important position on a team and probably account for 50% or more of the offensive success of any team. Good post!