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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Cardinals Sign OL Dennis Daley

March 21st, 2023 at 10:26pm CST by Ben Levine

New Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort has brought along an offensive lineman from Tennessee. The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed Dennis Daley to a two-year pact.

Ossenfort was the Titans director of player personnel when the team brought in Daley last offseason. The lineman ended up starting a career-high 15 games for Tennessee while filling in for Taylor Lewan at left tackle. Pro Football Focus didn’t paint a pretty picture when it came to Daley’s production, ranking him 78th among 81 qualifying offensive tackles.

PFF was a bit more fond of Daley’s performance during his time with the Panthers. The former sixth-round pick spent three years in Carolina, starting 21 of his 34 appearances.

The Cardinals will return their top three OTs in D.J. Humphries, Kelvin Beachum and Josh Jones, so Daley may have to count on an injury if he hopes to get a long long at tackle next year. However, the 26-year-old has also seen time at offensive guard, so his versatility could come in handy for Tennessee.

WR Notes: Hopkins, Cardinals, Chiefs, Ridley, Browns, Slayton, Texans, Dolphins

March 21st, 2023 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Brandin Cooks trade domino dropped Sunday morning, leaving DeAndre Hopkins as the only clear-cut impact receiver trade chip available. The Cardinals continue to shop the 11th-year veteran, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes talks are ramping up (Twitter link). Hopkins is amenable to adjusting his contract to facilitate a deal, and Rapoport adds an adjusted contract is likely. As is, Hopkins’ through-2024 contract calls for a $19.45MM base salary this season. That will likely be untenable to interested teams.

As far as interested parties go, the Chiefs are viewed as a team angling to acquire a veteran. Whether it is Hopkins or Odell Beckham Jr., veteran NFL reporter Mike Jurecki adds (on Twitter) Kansas City is on the market for an addition. With JuJu Smith-Schuster signing with the Patriots, it is unsurprising the defending champions are interested in upgrading. Mecole Hardman remains a free agent, and while the Chiefs were expected to move on from the speedster, his price range may have dropped considering his extended stay in free agency. Patrick Mahomes‘ restructure created $9.6MM in cap space for the Chiefs, though they sit at just more than $9MM as of Tuesday.

Staying on the Hopkins front, here is the latest from the receiver scene:

  • The Browns are not believed to be interested in reuniting Hopkins with Deshaun Watson, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets. Cleveland has a big contract at receiver (Amari Cooper‘s) already, though the team could benefit from a veteran presence alongside its No. 1 target. The Browns did host Marquise Goodwin on a visit that has spanned from Monday to today, Anderson adds (on Twitter). Goodwin spent last season with the Seahawks, catching 27 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. The former Olympic long jumper is going into his age-33 season.
  • Darius Slayton is back with the Giants, re-signing on a two-year deal worth $12MM. That contract includes $4.9MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. This can be treated more like a one-year deal; the Giants can save $6MM by cutting Slayton in 2024. That said, Slayton said (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he received other offers in free agency. The Giants, despite burying him on their initial 2022 depth chart and cutting his pay, reached out early and will have the former fifth-round pick back in the fold. The team’s improvement last season helped convince Slayton to stay.
  • A year after he signed for the exact terms Slayton reached (with the Jets), Braxton Berrios is now in Miami. The ex-Hurricanes receiver agreed to terms with the Dolphins on what KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes is a one-year, $3.5MM pact (Twitter link). Berrios will receive $3MM guaranteed, giving him a good chance of being part of the Dolphins’ 53-man roster. The Dolphins still have Cedrick Wilson and brought back River Cracraft and Freddie Swain last week.
  • Noah Brown‘s one-year Texans deal is worth $2.6MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The longtime Cowboys wideout received $2.25MM guaranteed and can add an additional $500K through incentives.
  • Addressing his season-long gambling suspension recently, Calvin Ridley said he deposited $1,500 into an unspecified betting app and, after making approximately $200 worth of NBA bets, he included the Falcons in a parlay. Denying he had inside information, Ridley said (via a piece on The Players’ Tribune) he had been away from the Falcons for a month, was not talking to anyone on the team and made the bet to root for his teammates. Regarding Ridley’s midseason Falcons exit in 2021, the former first-round pick said he was dealing with depression and anxiety. Ridley said he played most of the 2020 season (a career-high 1,374-yard slate) on a broken foot, but he was not informed of the break until June 2021. He underwent surgery, which was described as a minor procedure, but said he was not close to 100% by Week 1. This and Ridley’s house being robbed on that Week 1 Sunday intensified his anxiety. The NFL reinstated Ridley, now with the Jaguars, earlier this month.

Cardinals Sign DE L.J. Collier, Re-Sign CB Antonio Hamilton

March 21st, 2023 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former Seahawks first-round defensive end L.J. Collier will have another chance in the NFC West. The Cardinals are bringing in the edge rusher, according to the team.

They also announced Tuesday cornerback Antonio Hamilton is staying. Both defenders signed one-year contracts with the retooling team. Hamilton joins a few Steve Keim–Kliff Kingsbury-era additions in coming back. Kelvin Beachum and Matt Prater also agreed to stay in Arizona to start the Monti Ossenfort–Jonathan Gannon regime.

One of a few off-board first-round picks the Seahawks have made in recent years, Collier represented the John Schneider–Pete Carroll regime’s biggest swing and miss in the round. Collier was barely seeing playing time by the time his rookie contract ended, with healthy scratches coming at points during his rookie deal. The TCU product ended his Seattle career with just three sacks; each of those came in 2020.

This will be an uphill battle for a reclamation project, considering Collier’s scant production. The Seahawks tried him as a starter in only 2020, when he started 16 games. They moved on to other first-string options over the past two seasons. Collier, 27, maxed out at six sacks in a season in college as well. The former Horned Frogs edge player’s modest college production left him off the first-round radar, but as the Seahawks have shown with Rashaad Penny and Jordyn Brooks, they care little for consensus options in the draft. The Cards will attempt to use Collier at multiple positions up front, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

Hamilton rebounded from a late-summer kitchen accident, which resulted in serious burns on his feet and landed him on the Cardinals’ reserve/NFI list to start the season. The well-traveled cornerback re-emerged to play in 10 games and start a career-high five. The 6-foot defender notched his first interception and allowed a career-low 82.0 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage. Pro Football Focus also assessed Hamilton’s work positively, ranking him 36th at the position after his 418-snap 2022.

The Cardinals looked into ex-Gannon charge James Bradberry and were interested in re-signing Byron Murphy, but after Murphy — now a Viking — worked as Arizona’s No. 1 corner over the past two seasons, the team remains in dire need at the position. Hamilton, 30, should represent an early piece of this puzzle. The veteran will come on an affordable contract, earning $1.5MM guaranteed and a max value of $2MM, per Fowler (on Twitter). The Cards, who did not move aggressively at corner last year, will need to add multiple additional corners before the offseason ends.

DeAndre Hopkins Hires Agent, Open To Adjusting Contract

March 19th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 19: In an update on Hopkins’ situation, veteran reporter Mike Jurecki notes that the five-time Pro Bowler’s willingness to adjust his contract does not necessarily guarantee that he would be open to taking a pay cut (Twitter link). Doing so would likely be needed to make an acquiring team more amenable to a trade, and could be hinted at by his reported lack of desire to reset the WR market on his next deal. With many members of this year’s free agent class having agreed to new deals, it will be interesting to monitor how much attention Hopkins and the Cardinals get on the matter of a potential trade, something which will be affected by his contract status.

MARCH 8: The Amari Cooper, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill trades occurred within two weeks of each other last March. With teams staring at a mediocre free agent wide receiver class this year, it should be expected some movement will take place as clubs prepare to make upgrades.

DeAndre Hopkins remains the top name believed to be available. Mentioned in trade rumors for several weeks, Hopkins is obviously hearing the rumblings about his Arizona departure. Jonathan Gannon stopped short of guaranteeing Hopkins would be a Cardinal in 2023, and the former All-Pro pass catcher offered a similar status update Wednesday.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of trade talks, but I take things day for day,” Hopkins said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance (video link). “I don’t look forward for the future, I live in the present moment. Right now, the Arizona Cardinals is the team and roster that I’m on. I’m preparing myself for whatever the future holds.”

Some changes have occurred with Hopkins since he was last traded, and more may be coming. Shortly after being traded from the Texans to the Cardinals, Hopkins went through an agent-less negotiation. The 30-year-old standout confirmed Wednesday (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban, on Twitter) he has since hired an agent. Hopkins’ $27MM-per-year extension has two years remaining, and it might take a contract adjustment for the Cardinals to move his deal. Hopkins is set to make $19.45MM in base salary this year.

Although a trade opens the door to what would be Hopkins’ fourth NFL contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) he is not believed to be seeking a top-market price. Hopkins plans to be flexible regarding his deal’s final two years, which could open the door to more possibilities on the trade front. Hopkins’ trade value has taken a hit, given the injuries and PED suspension that took a previously durable player out of action for much of the past two seasons. Even ahead of an age-31 season, he should still generate considerable attention. A trade might not be far off.

With the thrice-traded Brandin Cooks the only other name steadily mentioned in trade rumors at receiver, Hopkins is expected to fetch the Cardinals a decent price. The team is believed to have worked out trade parameters that involve a second-round pick and change going back to Arizona. A number of teams are interested in Cooks, so it would stand to reason Hopkins is garnering similar interest. Hopkins’ 2022 PED suspension voided the no-trade clause in his contract, providing the Cardinals more flexibility as well.

Cardinals Release C Rodney Hudson, WR Chosen Anderson

March 16th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 16: Arizona will use the post-June 1 designation for the Hudson release. In a procedural move, the Cardinals also released J.J. Watt using this designation. They will pick up $3.05MM in cap space this summer as a result of the Hudson move. Watt announced his retirement shortly before the Cards’ season finale.

MARCH 6: The Cardinals are partaking in some cost-cutting measures for the sake of their salary cap and are expected to part ways with center Rodney Hudson and wide receiver Chosen Anderson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The two are recent additions who were unable to contribute much of what was expected of them last season.

Hudson, we recently reported, is expected to retire this spring. He flirted with the idea in the last offseason before ultimately coming back to the team. Unfortunately, the decision didn’t amount to much for Arizona as Hudson was placed on IR and missed much of the season. Back in January, Hudson agreed to a restructured contract that dropped his 2023 base salary to $2.05MM, an amount that indicated both retirement and this eventual release. With a post-June 1 designation, cutting Hudson will result in $3.05MM in cap savings and $1.76MM in dead money, as opposed to $5.28MM in dead money pre-June 1.

Anderson’s release is a no brainer for the Cardinals. The contract they inherited for Anderson from the Panthers included a potential out in 2023, allowing them to release him with no dangers of dead money. Releasing Anderson will alleviate Arizona of his full $12MM cap hit. Anderson has fallen from the heights of his strong run from 2017-2020. In 10 games with the Cardinals after the trade, Anderson only recorded seven receptions for 76 yards, the worst ten-game stretch of his career.

It will be interesting to see what the market is for Anderson. In a relatively weak wide receiver free agent market, Anderson joins the likes of Robert Woods, DJ Chark, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Julio Jones in free agency. Woods and Smith-Schuster are perhaps the strongest of the group and should fetch decent contracts. Most other available receivers with NFL experience will likely be reliant on fit and scheme to find their homes.

Hudson’s future is still up in the air, as foregone as it may seem. Everything seems to indicate that he will hang up his cleats, but Hudson may spurn retirement again and return to play a 13th season. Rapoport indicates that Hudson will make a decision soon.

Regardless of his decision, Arizona has reportedly made theirs to move on from both Hudson and Anderson. They’ll likely be in the market to replace both players’ positions, but for now, the moves clear out at least Anderson’s $12MM and potentially a total of $15.05MM in cap space.

Cardinals Re-Sign LB Zeke Turner, Add OL Hjalte Froholdt, DL Kevin Strong

March 15th, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals were busy today, adding three players to the roster. The team announced that they’ve re-signed linebacker Zeke Turner, and the team also announced that they’ve added free agent offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt and defensive lineman Kevin Strong.

Froholdt got a two-year deal from Arizona. The veteran started six of his 17 appearances for the Browns last season, spending time at both center and right guard. He’ll be reunited with new Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who served as Cleveland’s QBs coach in 2022 and their tight end coach between 2020 and 2021. Froholdt has seen time in 31 regular season games in stints with the Browns and Patriots, and his versatility (and multiyear contract) will surely earn him a spot on the 2023 roster.

Strong got a one-year deal from Arizona. The linebacker had his most productive NFL season in 2022 with the Titans, collecting 23 tackles and a pair of passes defended in 16 games (one start). He’ll be joining new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort in Arizona; the executive previously served as Tennessee’s director of player personnel.

Turner got a one-year deal to re-sign with the Cardinals. The former undrafted free agent has spent his entire five-year career in Arizona, getting into 64 total games. The 26-year-old appeared in 15 games (one start) last season, collecting 22 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/23

March 14th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

G Will Hernandez To Stay With Cardinals

March 14th, 2023 at 7:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bringing in a new head coach-general manager combination, the Cardinals are not yet making big changes up front. Instead, they are re-signing blockers added by the previous regime.

After agreeing to terms with right tackle Kelvin Beachum, the Cards, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, are re-signing guard Will Hernandez (Twitter link). The former Giants second-round pick agreed to a two-year, $9MM accord, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Hernandez did not leave New York with much momentum last year, settling for a one-year pact worth the league minimum. Despite missing some time during his first Cardinals season, Hernandez will have a chance to reprise his role as a first-stringer for the rebuilding team.

The Giants used Hernandez as a full-time starter during his first, second and fourth seasons. Despite this early-career seasoning, his market was ice cold last year. This time around, it is clear other teams showed interest. Hernandez, 27, started 13 games for the Cards and ranked seventh in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric among guards. Pro Football Focus slotted the five-year veteran 30th at the position.

Although the Cards lost a few blockers to major injuries last season (D.J. Humphries, Rodney Hudson, Justin Pugh), Hernandez did not need one of the starters to go down to commandeer a first-string gig. He won the job opposite Pugh from the jump. Pugh is unsigned, while Hudson is expected to retire. Humphries remains in the picture, as does Beachum, who is staying on a two-year deal.

PFF ranked Arizona’s O-line as a whole 24th, but the Monti Ossenfort-Jonathan Gannon regime will be expecting a better performance with more games from the starters. Hernandez will represent part of the new regime’s equation up front.

Cardinals To Sign LB Kyzir White

March 14th, 2023 at 5:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Another Eagles defender is out the door. Linebacker Kyzir White is signing with the Cardinals, reports Jordan Schultz of The Score (via Twitter).

White is inking a two-year deal that can max out at $11MM, per Schultz. The linebacker played last season on a one-year, $5MM deal, and he parlayed his strong performance into a multiyear contract.

White, a former fourth-round pick, took on a larger role during each of his four seasons with the Chargers. This culminated in a breakout 2021 campaign where he finished with 144 tackles, two interceptions, and a pair of forced fumbles. Despite the strong numbers, he had to settle for a one-year deal with Philly last offseason, and he ended up emerging as a key piece on the Eagles defense.

The linebacker started eight of his 17 games, finishing with 110 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He added another 11 stops in three postseason appearances. Pro Football Focus ended up ranking the 26-year-old 33rd among 81 qualifying linebackers. Today’s move will reunite White with new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was Philly’s defensive coordinator last season.

With both White and T.J. Edwards gone, the Eagles will be searching for two new starting LBs next season. Javon Hargrave and Marcus Epps have also left in free agency and opened holes on Philly’s defense.

Cardinals Re-Sign K Matt Prater

March 14th, 2023 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Prater will return to the Cardinals for a third season, and it will be his 17th in the NFL. Arizona announced another Prater agreement Tuesday.

Going into his age-39 season, Prater has played for three teams. The former Broncos and Lions specialist has camped in Arizona for his late 30s, signing a two-year deal with the Cardinals initially in 2021. Despite Prater’s age and the organization adding a new HC-GM combo, Tuesday’s agreement is also for two years.

Prater had a down year during his final season in Detroit in 2020, connecting on only 75 percent of his field goal attempts. He’s rebounded nicely during his two years in Arizona, connecting on 83.9 percent of his field goal attempts. He was especially efficient this past year, connecting on 88 percent of his field goals, his best rate since 2015. Prater also connected on 17 of his 18 extra point attempts.

The veteran kicker did miss a handful of games this past year thanks to a midseason hip injury. This was the first time Prater missed a game since the 2014 campaign, and considering the two-year commitment, the Cardinals clearly aren’t concerned about the player’s health moving forward.

Kicker Elliott Fry was signed to a futures deal after the 2022 campaign and should provide Prater with some competition during the preseason.

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