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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Contract Details: Johnson, Avery, Brewer

June 25th, 2023 at 7:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on recently signed contracts around the NFL:

  • Tyron Johnson, WR (Cowboys): Two years, $2.04MM. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Johnson will have a base salary of $1.01MM in 2023 and $1.03MM in 2024. His cap hits will match his base salaries in each year.
  • Genard Avery, OLB (Colts): One year, $1.08MM. According to Wilson, Avery will have a base salary of $1.08MM in 2023. He will hold a cap hit of $940K.
  • Aaron Brewer, LS (Cardinals): One year, $1.17MM. According to Howard Balzer of PHNX, Arizona’s long snapper will have a base salary of $1.17MM. His cap hit will be $940K in 2023.

Cardinals’ Isaiah Simmons Making Move From LB To DB

June 17th, 2023 at 1:57pm CST by Ely Allen

When he was drafted as a top-ten pick in 2020, Cardinals defender Isaiah Simmons was lauded as a Swiss Army knife that could play all over the field. Despite being labeled a linebacker by the Cardinals over his first three seasons, he’s been utilized quite a bit in the secondary. Earlier this week, though, Simmons announced that, this year, he has solely been working with the defensive backs, and he will continue to do so moving forward, according to Cardinals staff writer Darren Urban.

After making the opposite switch from safety to linebacker in his senior year at Clemson, Simmons displayed proficiency all over the field with a stat line that included over 100 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He hasn’t found quite the same success in Arizona but has shown a similar versatility.

Simmons had his best year in 2022, according to grades done by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). For the first time in his career, he spent a majority of his snaps aligned in the secondary. He spent 45 percent of his snaps aligned in the slot, 33 percent at linebacker, 12 percent on the defensive line, as well as a few snaps at safety and outside cornerback. As a result, Simmons returned his career-best grades in coverage and pass rush.

New head coach Jonathan Gannon scouted Simmons when he was the defensive backs coach in Indianapolis and admits that he had a vision for Simmons at the time. This, combined with the success Simmons found in the slot last season, is perhaps the biggest reason for the official position change.

Regardless, Simmons has committed himself to a dedicated position, claiming he’d prefer “to master defensive back first” before any potential work back at outside linebacker. This new change could end up being quite profitable for Simmons, as well. After his fifth-year option was declined by Arizona back in May, Simmons is headed into a contract year. If he continues to breakout in the secondary, this move could result in a large payday in the coming offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/23

June 15th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

  • Signed: DT Kobe Smith
  • Waived/injured: WR/TE Dre Miller

Greg Mabin is the biggest name on the list, with the cornerback having appeared in 45 career games. The former UDFA has spent the past two seasons with the Titans, collecting 23 tackles in 11 total games. The Panthers have gotten an extended look at their cornerback depth during minicamp with Jaycee Horn (ankle) and Donte Jackson (Achilles) sidelined, so the team has probably decided they needed some veteran reinforcement at the position.

Javon Wims will now be looking for another opportunity after getting cut by the Cardinals. The former seventh-round pick showed a bit of a potential with the Bears, including a 2019 campaign where he had 18 catches for 186 yards and one touchdown. After getting into 13 games with the Bears in 2020, the wideout has only seen time in one game over the past two seasons. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on Arizona’s practice squad.

DB Notes: Baker, Gordon, Lions, Chinn

June 15th, 2023 at 12:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Budda Baker issued a trade request in February, though it did not become public until mid-April. The Pro Bowl safety remains with the Cardinals and attended the team’s minicamp this week. But the disgruntled defender did not participate in on-field work, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. This hold-in effort did involve some degree of participation, with Jonathan Gannon indicating Baker has texted with him regarding film and has been in contact with coaches.

“It was good to have him in the building today,” Gannon said (via Weinfuss), calling Baker’s situation “the business side of it.” “Smile on his face. He was asking a bunch of questions. I told the coaches, you better be on your toes cause he’s going to ask good questions. The dialogue has been great, and I’m ready to get [No.] 3 back out there.”

With the Cardinals rebuilding and unlikely to have Kyler Murray available to start the season, it would be interesting to see if they listened to offers for Baker. It also is understandable for Gannon to want the decorated safety back in the mix, given the talent the Cardinals lost on defense this offseason (J.J. Watt, Zach Allen, Byron Murphy, Markus Golden). Two years remain on Baker’s $14.75MM-per-year contract, which has paid out its guarantees.

Here is the latest DB news from around the NFL:

  • The Bears now have three second-round cornerbacks on their roster, adding Tyrique Stevenson to a mix that includes Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. A 2022 Round 2 choice, Gordon is now ticketed for a full-time slot role, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Washington product played both inside and outside last season, logging a 97% snap rate in the 14 games he played. Gordon intercepted three passes and forced a fumble as a rookie, though Pro Football Focus did not view his coverage work especially fondly, ranking the 6-foot defender 108th among qualified corners.
  • Will Harris moved from safety to slot corner with the Lions last year, but the team’s secondary overhaul included the additions of two hybrid players — C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Brian Branch. Both safeties have extensive slot experience, and Gardner-Johnson — despite leading the NFL with six interceptions last season as an Eagles safety — is expected to play plenty in the slot with the Lions. Harris should be expected to be a backup in 2023, per the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett, who notes the fifth-year defender should work as the top reserve on the outside and in the slot. A former third-round pick who re-signed on a one-year deal this offseason, Harris started 10 games last year.
  • Used as a linebacker and a safety over his first three seasons, Jeremy Chinn is set to stay on a versatile track in Carolina. The former Panthers second-rounder has worked as a nickel presence throughout the offseason, David Newton of ESPN.com notes. New Panthers secondary coach Jonathan Cooley said the staff has not fully pinned down Chinn’s role, which will make this run-up to a contract year interesting. The Panthers held off on trading Chinn last year, keeping him as part of a young defensive core.
  • Texans cornerback Steven Nelson hired a new agent recently, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who notes David Mulugheta is now representing the ninth-year defender. Nelson signed a two-year, $9MM deal with the Texans in 2022, but started all 15 games he played. Going into his age-30 season, the former Chiefs, Steelers and Eagles corner is running out of time to make another financial splash.
  • The Cardinals made tiny splashes in the secondary recently, adding corners Dylan Mabin and Bobby Price. Both will be on league-minimum deals, with GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer tweeting Price will earn $1.01MM (the minimum for a fourth-year player) while Mabin is at $870K (the basement for a player with one year of experience). With neither assured of a roster spot, no money here is guaranteed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/23

June 14th, 2023 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor roster moves across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Placed on IR: TE Zach Davidson

 

It’s unfortunate news for Davidson, who was hoping to make a push for a roster spot this offseason after signing a futures deal with the Bills after their postseason elimination last season. He won’t be eligible to be activated off of injured reserve for this season, either. He would have to be released with an injury settlement in order to be eligible to play this year.

Davenport started games for three different teams over the first five years of his career but hasn’t appeared in a game since 2021. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the veteran tackle is already drawing interest around the league.

DeAndre Hopkins Leaves Titans Without Deal

June 13th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Ben Levine

JUNE 13: Adding further to Howe’s Monday report of Hopkins’ Patriots visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that it will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. That two-day window will provide New England with an opportunity to outbid the Titans, and potentially convince the three-time All-Pro to avoid taking any further visits with interested teams. Plenty of attention will no doubt be paid to the Patriots’ actions in the coming days and their willingness to use their financial advantage relative to other Hopkins suitors.

JUNE 12: DeAndre Hopkins left his Titans visit without a deal. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter), “no deal was struck” between the free agent wideout and the Titans.

[RELATED: DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Patriots]

After “spending hours with the players and staff,” Hopkins left the Titans facility this evening. Thanks to Hopkins’ Instagram, we learned that the wideout apparently attended a concert at Nissan Stadium during his visit in Tennessee. His meeting “apparently went well,” per Russini, but the receiver intends to take more visits with teams before making a final decision.

Considering Tennessee was first on Hopkins’ free agency tour, it’s not shocking that he left Tennessee without a deal. It doesn’t sound like Hopkins has enough suitors to spark a true bidding war, at least one that could approach the $15MM salary that he’s seeking. The Titans were probably responsible with their financial offer to the receiver, and it would have required a significant pay day to get Hopkins’ signature this afternoon.

We learned last week that the Patriots were next on the list of Hopkins’ visits. Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the wideout is still planning to visit New England but the exact “logistics on the timing” are still being worked out. New England is currently sitting with almost twice as much effective cap space as Tennessee (per OverTheCap.com), and their financial advantage could come in handy if they’re only competing with the Titans for the free agent’s services.

If Hopkins does end up in New England, many assumed he’d take the roster spot from one of the team’s current receivers. ESPN’s Mike Reiss isn’t so sure. He notes that the organization has been bringing offseason signing JuJu Smith-Schuster along slowly, and sources tell the reporter that 2022 second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton is “managing a soft-tissue-related injury.” While a hypothetical Hopkins signing may still lead to one of the team’s notable WRs earning their walking papers during the preseason, it could at least buy someone like Kendrick Bourne or DeVante Parker some extra time to carve out a role.

Elsewhere, Hopkins’ former team may have a bit more financial wiggle room than we anticipated. Per veteran reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter), the Cardinals’ were left with $21.078MM in dead cap following Hopkins’ release. It was originally reported that the dead cap money was around $22.6MM.

Cardinals Work Out C Chase Roullier

June 12th, 2023 at 9:28pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals got a look at a veteran center today. The team worked out free agent offensive lineman Chase Roullier, per Matt Lombardo of Heavy.com (on Twitter). Darren Urban of the team’s website passed along the news (via Twitter).

After being limited to only 10 games with Washington over the past two years, Roullier watched as the Commanders added Nick Gates in free agency and Ricky Stromberg in the third round of the draft. Shortly thereafter, Roullier earned his walking papers, with the Commanders saving a significant chunk of the player’s upcoming $8.3MM (2023) and $8.7MM (2024) base salaries.

When healthy, Roullier was one of the most dependable centers in the NFL. After starting seven of his 13 appearances as a rookie, the former sixth-round pick started all 46 of his appearances between 2018 and 2020. In each of those three seasons, Pro Football Focus graded Roullier as an above-average center, culminating in him being ranked sixth (among 36 qualifiers) in 2020.

The center inked a four-year, $40.5MM contract with Washington prior to the 2021 campaign, and he appeared to take it to another level after signing the deal. Through eight starts, Roullier was graded as PFF’s fourth-best center, but a fractured fibula ended his season prematurely. The 29-year-old managed to return for the start of the 2022 campaign, but a torn MCL ended his season after only two games.

Hjalte Froholdt is the most experienced of the Cardinals’ current options at the center position. Lecitus Smith could be an option after appearing in 10 games (two starts) as a rookie, while fourth-round guard Jon Gaines could also swing over to the center spot if needed. None of those options can probably match the upside of Roullier, assuming full health.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/12/23

June 12th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

New England Patriots

The Cardinals are swapping out receivers. Brandon Smith spent a few years on the Cowboys practice squad before joining the XFL this past February. He ended up catching eight passes for 118 yards and one touchdown in four games with the D.C. Defenders. Auden Tate, meanwhile, spent four years with the Bengals before spending much of last season of the Eagles practice squad. He has 12 catches in 35 career games.

Justus Tavai was cut by the Patriots last week, but the brother of Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai is back on the roster. That will come at the expense of Tae Hayes‘ roster spot. The cornerback spent much of last season on New England’s practice squad, getting into a pair of games with the big-league team.

Cards LT D.J. Humphries Returns To Practice

June 11th, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries returned to the practice field for voluntary OTAs last week, per Darren Urban of the team’s official website. Humphries missed the second half of the 2022 season due to a back injury.

Humphries, a 2021 Pro Bowler, acknowledged that he “had to roll the dice a little bit” in electing to forego back surgery in favor of rehab. As of the time of this writing, he is not quite back to full strength, but he remains on track to suit up for Week 1 of the regular season.

Humphries’ shortened season was one of many difficulties that the Cardinals faced in 2022, and it was a disappointing setback for a player who dealt with significant injury issues in the early stages of his career but who had missed only one contest — a COVID-related absence — from 2019-21.

That newfound durability, along with generally solid play as Arizona’s blindside blocker, allowed Humphries to land multiple three-year contracts from the Cards. His current deal, which he signed last August and which was restructured in March, keeps him under club control through 2025.

Arizona did select Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the No. 6 pick of this year’s draft, and it is still rostering 2020 third-rounder Josh Jones, who played well at left tackle in Humphries’ absence last season. Nonetheless, Urban expects Humphries to reclaim the starting LT job, with Johnson beginning his professional career on the right side.

Even a rebuilding outfit like Arizona benefits from a quality left tackle, and assuming he can stay healthy, Humphries is exactly that. He also comes at a reasonable price, as he is due under $16MM per season over the 2024-25 seasons. Thanks to the above-referenced restructure, Humphries is earning just $5.5MM in base salary in 2023, though that is because a chunk of his salary was converted to a signing bonus for cap purposes.

Unless they were to make him a post-June 1 cut or trade next year, the Cardinals cannot now feasibly extricate themselves from Humphries’ contract until the end of the 2024 season. That suggests that the club, like the player himself, did not worry that the back injury would be a career-threatening one, and that Humphries could remain on the roster for the foreseeable future.

Arizona’s three-day mandatory minicamp begins on Tuesday, at which point we may have more clarity on the team’s plans with respect to Humphries and Johnson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/8/23

June 8th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Breon Borders has been hit with a two-game suspension, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). It’s uncertain what warranted the ban. Borders has seen time in 32 career games (six starts), compiling 42 tackles and one interception. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on the Bears practice squad, getting into one game with the big-league club.

The veteran cornerback just signed with the Falcons earlier this week. He’s expected to play a depth role behind A.J. Terrell, Jeff Okudah, and Mike Hughes.

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