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The Arizona Cardinals have some fairly notable free agents going into the off-season. One-time cornerstone players like Patrick Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald are set to hit the open market. They also have decisions to make around the likes of Haason Reddick and Kelvin Beachum. There are some big decisions as the Cardinals look to get over the hump and into the playoffs. General manager Steve Keim is going to have his work cut out for him.
Lost revenue due to COVID-19 will impact every team, but with so many free agents the likely drop in the league wide salary cap number could make things difficult. The 2020 number was around $198 million, while the 2021 number could drop to $180.5 million according to Over The Cap, but is subject to change.
Jan 14, 2021
A day after the Arizona Cardinals saw their season end in lackluster fashion with a defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, head coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked about the health status of the team. More specifically, he was prodded about the injury seriousness of anyone on the roster and the potential remedies heading into the offseason. Kliff, now that it s over, can you give us a rundown on how bad (quarterback) Kyler (Murray s) ankle and leg were and if anyone else, or anyone, will need surgery after the season, a reporter asked Kingsbury.
The response was a 45-word answer that focused on Murray, who was injured in the first quarter in the loss to the Rams and did not reappear until the fourth quarter. Kingsbury neglected the second part of the question, which prompted a follow-up.
Dec 28, 2020
The Cardinals will be getting back offensive line depth, while losing some on defense and special teams.
On Monday, Arizona activated backup center Lamont Gaillard after he missed time due to the birth of his daughter before subsequently going through COVID-19 protocols. The Cardinals also placed outside linebacker Kylie Fitts on reserve/injured with a hand injury, ending his regular season heading into Week 17.
Gaillard received a roster exemption last Monday, but didn’t pass through the league s coronavirus protocols before Saturday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He has started in two games this year when starter Mason Cole got hurt in Week 1. Gaillard has not started since Week 3, but played 29 total offensive snaps in Weeks 13 and 14, replacing Cole for some possessions.
Dec 24, 2020
It turns out Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wasn’t “talking out of school” Wednesday when he said the team would “miss” linebacker Dennis Gardeck this week.
Not only will it be this week, but on Thursday head coach Kliff Kingsbury revealed that Gardeck will be placed on reserve/injured as the result of a knee injury he suffered Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“He s such a tough guy,” Kingsbury said. “We were exploring every option to try and get him out there and it doesn t appear like it s going to work out so he ll be put on IR for the remainder of the season.”