Day 2 FA: Beach Day for Cardinals
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Great to see RT Kelvin Beachum back! I bet Kugs, DJ, Pugh & gang are elated. Beach is good people, man! Now, see of you can get a 7th rounder from KC for Marcus Gilbert. Or any other team for that matter. Walter B J Mitchell (@WBJMItch) March 16, 2021
When the Cardinals’ OLC Sean Kugler indicated that 2020 3rd round pick T Josh Jones has the versatility to play guard, some of us were wondering whether that meant he wanted Kelvin Beachum to return in 2021. Indeed, that is the case, as the Cardinals re-signed Beachum to a 2 year deal.
In the lead-up to the start of free agency on March 17 and the opening day of the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29, we ll be taking a position-by-position look at all 32 NFL teams with a focus on the starting spots that have question marks heading into next season.
The Arizona Cardinals got off to a hot start to the 2020 season riding high at 6-3 following their “Hail Murray” win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10 but they lost five of their final seven games to close the season and missed the playoffs. There are solid building blocks in place on this roster this team
Mar 5, 2021
The Arizona Cardinals defense received a major boost this week with the addition of J.J. Watt.
But, the Cardinals are still evaluating each position group to see where more improvements are needed.
That includes on the offensive line, a unit that improved from 2019, but still had some major deficiencies, specifically in run blocking.
Tackle
The left tackle spot is the most solidified on the line, as D.J. Humphries put together perhaps his best pro season in 2020.
He allowed just three sacks while leading the league s left tackles in snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
The right side is less clear.
When it comes to winning now, that is king in the NFL.
There is very rarely a long-term plan that is put into place and executed by NFL teams anymore simply because the NFL doesn’t give head.
Cardinals Re-Define Veteran Leadership
In his most recent article for
The Athletic, Michael Lombardi maintains, like a fair number of Cardinals’ fans, that the Arizona Cardinals paid way too much for DE J. J. Watt. Here is the crux of his argument:
When there were reports that Arizona was not the highest bidder. The Colts (completely false) and Browns (not sure, but highly doubtful) were rumored to have higher bids. Why is this even important? Watt being paid $15 million per season with $23 million guaranteed is a huge overpayment, regardless of whether another team was willing to do a similar deal. Two wrongs have never made a right. For some reason, flaming a story about another team’s pending interest makes doing something financially ridiculous justifiable. In Watt’s case, the tape does not justify the number. Watt will turn 32 on March 22. He has only played in all 16 games for two seasons in the past five years.