Last year, things didn’t exactly go according to plan for the Cardinals as they finished out 7-8-1, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. With little salary cap room to work with, it’s not exactly clear if the Cardinals have put themselves in position for a big turnaround.
Notable signings:
- Chandler Jones, LB: Five years, $82.5MM. $21MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Jermaine Gresham, TE: Four years, $28MM. $13MM guaranteed.
- Antoine Bethea, S: Three years, $12.75MM. $2MM guaranteed.
- Phil Dawson, K: Two years, $6MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Jarvis Jones, LB: One year, $2.25MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Karlos Dansby, LB: One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed.
- A.Q. Shipley, C: Two years, $3.5MM. $725K guaranteed.
- Frostee Rucker, DL: One year, $1.08MM. $80K guaranteed.
- Andre Ellington, RB: One year, $905K. $80K guaranteed.
- Tony Bergstrom, C: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Blaine Gabbert, QB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Jeremy Ross, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Aaron Dobson, WR: One year, $615K.
- Jumal Rolle, CB: One year, $615K.
The Cardinals knew they’d have to pony up a massive deal when they acquired Chandler Jones via trade from the Patriots. This year, they applied the franchise tag to Jones but the two sides shook hands on a massive extension just days later. Jones’ new deal makes him the third-highest paid 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, trailing only Von Miller and Justin Houston in terms of yearly average. When it comes to average guarantees per year, he’s in second place with $6.2MM, ahead of Houston. It wasn’t cheap to lock up Jones, but he is one of the league’s very best edge defenders and the market is only growing for those players. If Jones continues on this trajectory, it will all be worth it for Arizona. 
Considering the Cardinals’ cap situation, their four-year, $28MM deal for tight end Jermaine Gresham was a bit perplexing. Before the free agent market officially opened, I had Gresham ranked as the ninth-best option available. The 28-year-old (29 in June) had 37 catches for 391 yards last year, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of blocking. The good news is that the 29-year-old will only carry a $3.75MM cap number in 2017, but his contract doesn’t look so great after that. In 2018, the Cardinals are saddled with a $7.25MM cap number and releasing him ($9.25MM) isn’t really a viable option. In 2019, they’ll be stuck with $3.5MM if they release Gresham.
Free agent addition Antoine Bethea projects as the Cardinals’ starting strong safety, but he may have to duke it out with the team’s second round pick (more on him later). The soon-to-be 33-year-old did well for himself on this deal and the Cardinals are hoping that he will continue to be an above-average playmaker in the secondary. Bethea has started all 162 games he’s played since entering the league and he has 19 career interceptions to his name.
The Cardinals added two notable free agents to the linebacking group in Karlos Dansby and Jarvis Jones. Dansby returns to the Cardinals after spending the first six years of his career with them, plus the 2013 season. Dansby night not be a top 15 type like he was in 2013 and 2014, but he’s still quite productive even at his advanced age. The linebacker, 36 in November, had upwards of 100 tackles last year and finished out as Pro Football Focus’ 46th best linebacker out of 87 qualified players.
Jones, a former first round pick, has only posted six sacks in four NFL seasons. He recorded a career-high 43 tackles in 2016, however, and started nine games for the Steelers. He has not lived up to his draft status, but he is still a solid run defender and he could still have some untapped potential. With talented veterans in front of him, the Cardinals will only be using Jones on a limited basis, a role that might suit him well.
Not long ago, Andre Ellington was the main rusher in Arizona. Now, the emergence of David Johnson has pushed him down the pecking order. The Cardinals were exploring the idea of moving Ellington to wide receiver this year, but they abandoned that midway through the offseason. It’s still a good bet that Ellington will make the 53-man cut as a reserve behind Johnson.
Notable losses:
- Taylor Boggs, OL
- Calais Campbell, DE
- Chandler Catanzaro, K
- Marcus Cooper, CB
- Zac Dysert, QB: Waived
- Darren Fells, TE
- Tony Jefferson, S
- Mike Jenkins, CB
- Chris Johnson, RB
- Evan Mathis, G: Retired
- Kevin Minter, LB
- Sio Moore, LB
- Alex Okafor, DE
- D.J. Swearinger, S
- Stepfan Taylor, RB
- Daryl Washington, LB: Released
- Earl Watford, G
The Cardinals worked to keep Tony Jefferson before the start of free agency but they couldn’t come up with enough cash to keep him from exploring free agency. Reportedly, Arizona’s final offer to Jefferson was a four-year, $24MM deal. He wound up signing with the Ravens on a four-year, $37MM deal and even that reportedly wasn’t his highest offer. The Cardinals sensed early on that they wouldn’t be able to retain Jefferson and his market only improved when Eric Berry re-upped with the Chiefs. After a season in which he placed as PFF’s fifth-best safety, he’ll be missed in Arizona.
When the Cardinals acquired Jones from New England, Calais Campbell became something of an afterthought. Perhaps motivated by a perceived slight, Campbell turned in his best season to date. The Cardinals were probably expecting to move on from Campbell this offseason, but his performance made his departure a bitter pill to swallow. The University of Miami product got $60MM over four years with $30MM guaranteed from the Jaguars – numbers that Arizona couldn’t come close to matching. The Cardinals were able to cobble together a nice Plan B after Jefferson left, but they are looking a little shaky on the defensive line now that Campbell is gone. Frostee Rucker, Corey Peters, and rising sophomore Robert Nkemdiche project as the starters. It’s a capable group, but that unit is far from a sure thing. 
Out of nowhere, linebacker Daryl Washington was finally reinstated by the league office this spring. The move left the Cardinals with a decision to make on his $2.9MM salary. After early word that the Cardinals would definitely dump him, it appears that the team did actually want him around – just at a lesser pay grade. Ultimately, the two sides could not come to terms on a deal and Washington is still seeking employment. The one-time standout has not been on the field since 2013.
The Cardinals made an under-the-radar smart trade prior to last season, sending a 2018 seventh-round pick to Kansas City for cornerback Marcus Cooper. Cooper wound up making 13 starts for the Cardinals and turning himself into a sought-after cornerback on the market this spring. Cooper was another victim of the Cards’ cap crunch and there wasn’t a great effort made to retain him. He landed a three-year, $16MM deal with the Bears.
Trades:
- Acquired a 2017 second-round pick (No. 36; S Budda Baker) and a 2017 seventh-round pick (No. 221) from the Bears in exchange for acquired a 2017 second-round pick (No. 45; TE Adam Shaheen), a 2017 fourth-round pick (No. 119; RB Tarik Cohen), a 2017 sixth-round pick (No. 197), and a 2018 fourth-round pick.
- Acquired a 2017 third-round pick (No. 98; WR Chad Williams) and a 2017 fourth-round pick (No. 115; OL Dorian Johnson) from the Panthers in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick (No. 77; DE Daeshon Hall).
- Acquired a 2017 sixth-round pick (No. 208; S Johnathan Ford) from the Raiders in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round pick (No. 221; DB Shalom Luani) and a 2017 seventh-round pick (No. 231; T Jylan Ware).
Draft picks:
- 1-13: Haason Reddick, LB (Temple)
- 2-36: Budda Baker, S (Washington)
- 3-98: Chad Williams, WR (Grambling State)
- 4-115: Dorian Johnson, OL (Pittsburgh)
- 5-157: Will Holden, OL (Vanderbilt)
- 5-179: T.J. Logan, RB (North Carolina)
- 6-208: Rudy Ford, S (Auburn)
The Cardinals lost some big names this year and they didn’t have a lot of dollars to spend on the open market to compensate. If the Cardinals are to get back to contention this season, they’ll need their rookies to quickly get comfortable with the pace of the NFL. 
The buzz around Haason Reddick became deafening in the months leading up to the draft. Reddick came to Temple as a preferred walk-on and, at one time, he was almost pushed out of the program. Towards the end of his time in Philadelphia, the light turned on for Reddick and he solidified himself as one of the best linebackers in the 2017 class. In the long run, Reddick may be used as an edge rusher if he can bulk up. For right now, it looks like he’ll start the year at inside linebacker as Deone Bucannon recovers from ankle surgery. When Bucannon is back, Reddick figures to be a big part of the team’s plans, even if he is in the role of supersub.
Aside from Reddick, no rookie will be more central to Arizona’s plans than Budda Baker. The Washington product may start the year as Bethea’s backup, but they could wind up switching spots during the season. Baker has a high football IQ for such a young player and his aggressive playing style could trump the vast experience of Bethea at some point.
Extensions and restructures:
- Josh Mauro, DL: Extended through 2018. Two years, $5.8MM. $3MM guaranteed.
- Tyvon Branch, S: Accepted pay cut. Reduced 2017 base salary from $4MM to $2MM.
Other:
- Exercised 2018 fifth-year option for LB Deone Bucannon ($8.718MM).
- Signed 17 undrafted rookie free agents.
Top 10 cap charges for 2017:
- Carson Palmer, QB: $24,125,000
- Larry Fitzgerald, WR: $15,850,000
- Patrick Peterson, CB: $13,706,965
- Chandler Jones, LB: $10,000,000
- Jared Veldheer, T: $10,000,000
- Mike Iupati, G: $9,700,000
- Tyrann Mathieu, S: $8,100,000
- Drew Stanton, QB: $4,150,000
- Jermaine Gresham, TE: $3,750,000
- Corey Peters, DT: $3,660,418
The Cardinals are still the NFC West team best equipped to challenge the Seahawks for the divisional crown, but it could be a challenge after losing two big stars on defense. Of course, injuries were a big issue for the Cards in 2016 and staying healthy will go a long way towards putting Arizona back in the playoff mix.
Information from Over the Cap and Roster Resource was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.