Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Kudos to K1SinceDay1 from X for devising this plan
Check out this free agency and draft plan from K1SinceDay1 that he posted last evening on X:
- Sign DT Milton Williams UFA (PHI)
- Trade pick #47 for DE Trey Hendrickson (CIN)
- Trade down from #16 to #27 to recover a 2nd round pick
- Select ED Donavan Ezeiruaku from Boston College at pick #27.
- Select T Aireontae Ersery from Minnesota at pick #59
- Select DT Alfred Collins from Texas at pick #78
- Select C Jared Wilson from Georgia at pick #114
- Select WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. from Tennessee at pick #153
Some will question within good reason whether it would be wise for the Cardinals to invest a combined $50M average cap hit per year on DT Milton Williams and DE Trey Hendrickson.
But I say let’s reel in a couple of big fish this time around Cardinal, let’s aim high.
Adding two of the best pass rushers in the NFL (who combined in 2024 for 137 QB pressures and 25.5 sacks with 4 forced fumbles) could be a total game changer for the Cardinals —-
It would show the NFL world how serious the Cardinals are becoming about winning.
Some will question Trey Hendrickson’s age at 30 —- but his career started out slowly in New Orleans and he has only been a full-time starter for 5 years and in those 5 years Trey has amassed 70.5 sacks (14.1 ave per season), 4 Pro Bowls and NFL 1st Team All-Pro in 2024.
ROTB Poll:
What say you?
I say. “Heck yeah!”
Kudos to K1SinceDay1 from X for devising this plan. Thank you, dude!
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed two veteran special teamers.
The Arizona Cardinals signed two of their own key veteran special teams free agents.
From the team:
Welcome back to both.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
More love for the Cardinals’ own Buckeyes!
Baron Browning is coming back for two more years, Birdgang!
After being acquired from the Broncos at the trading deadline, B-Bro showed some impressive quickness off the edge that led to 14 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks and 12 QB pressures. Plus, the coaches love his versatility to play on the edge or at inside LB and perform well in chasing the run, blitzing and in apply speed and good instincts in pass coverage.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
A little look at the Arizona Cardinals free agency rumors.
Happy Friday one and all.
While the NFL tampering period begins on March 10th, there are plenty of things happening already, including defensive players who have been released that are going to be potential fits for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals are already being active.
They are also being linked to the prized interior defensive line free agent:
We will see what else is happening as things come out, but for now, we have rumors all over.
As more comes, we will have updates, but let’s get excited for the next week, and hope the Arizona Cardinals are aggressive as they are being portrayed to be:
The Arizona Cardinals have announced they have re-signed key special teamers Aaron Brewer and Joey Blount. More on that in a bit.
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The Arizona Cardinals continue to add to their defense.
The Arizona Cardinals added a former Cincinnati Bengals player. Just not the one everyone was hoping for.
The team will be signing Akeem Davis-Gaither per reports.
Davis-Gaither is a five year veteran and has played in 71 games with 11 career starts, seven of which came last year.
The 6-2 230lbs linebacker played his most snaps of his career as a linebacker last season. He saw 418 snaps at off ball linebacker in the box, so Davis-Gaither is coming in looking to expand that role even more.
In his snaps last season he played 535 on defense, a career high, with 195 snaps against the run, 50 pass rushing snaps and 290 dropping into coverage.
So, do the Cardinals see Davis-Gaither taking over the coverage linebacker role while Mack Wilson moves to the green dot position?
It will be interesting to see how they deploy him, but at two-years for $11 million, it is not an expensive swing to take.
Welcome to the desert, Akeem.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
The Arizona Cardinals add a big free agent pass rusher.
The splash is here, as the Arizona Cardinals and free agent edge rusher Josh Sweat are in agreement to a four-year, $76.4 million deal with $41 million guaranteed.
This is a nice rebound after missing out on Milton Williams, and while it does not mean the Cardinals are done adding free agents, it does allow them to refocus on adding defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft, a class that is deep with talent and has different styles of defensive linemen they can pursue.
For the Cardinals, adding Sweat to a room with Zaven Collins, B.J. Ojulari, and Baron Browning is a nice get. He can be the alpha in the room, will lead knowing the defense for Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis already, and take some pressure off of the other three.
Sweat had his best two seasons under Gannon, with 18.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and his lone Pro Bowl appearance.
Now, can he lead the Arizona Cardinals over the next couple of seasons?
That is the big question.
Welcome to the desert, Josh!
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Cardinals are bringing back veteran receiver Zay Jones on a one-year deal.
The Cardinals are keeping an in-house free agent from hitting the market as they’ve signed wide receiver Zay Jones to a one-year, $4.4 million contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2026 season. For at least more year, Jones stands to be the elder statesman of the wideout group in 2025.
In his first season with the Cardinals, Jones played in 11 games with two starts after missing the first six games of the regular season due to a suspension. After returning to the field, he totaled eight receptions for 84 yards.
Prior to joining the Cardinals, Jones spent two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he totaled 116 catches for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns. Before landing in Jacksonville, Jones spent the first five seasons of his career split between the Bills and Raiders.
Entering his age-30 season, Jones has career totals of 295 receptions, 3,112 yards, and 18 touchdowns.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Cardinals miss out on signing one of the top defensive tackles while signing two veteran offensive depth players instead
Yesterday morning when I saw the rumors that the Cardinals were on the verge of signing DT Javon Hargrave to reunite with Jonathan Gannon, Nick Rallis and Josh Sweat, to then, as the day inched along, have to watch the Vikings sign not only DT Javon Hargrave, but DT Jonathan Allen as well, it was purely agonizing.
One would think that having to live in the bitter cold of Minnesota rather than the warm sunshine of Arizona could be a deterrent to prime NFL free agents —- but boy oh boy the Vikings have something very special going on in Minnesota —- starting with the first-class way in which they treat and facilitate their players and their families —- with the players there having such an even-keeled, savvy-minded head coach —- paired with one of the most prolific defensive minds in all of football who opted to cancel a 2nd HC interview with the Cardinals to accept the Vikings’ DC job instead —- and then to have to think of the softball way in which the Cardinals coaches treated the 4th quarter of the 2024 post-bye week game with heavy playoff implications up there that for 3 3⁄4 quarters the Cardinals had every right to win —- all of it felt agonizing.
The Cardinals did not make one move on Day 2 to address their woeful defensive tackle needs —- in fact, ironically, the Detroit Lions roared in and swiped away NT Roy Lopez on a 1-year $4.6M deal —- meanwhile, the Cardinals essentially prioritized the re-singing of veteran WR Jay Jones instead at a similar $4.4M figure. Jones as WR4 caught 11 passes last year.
It’s just unbelievable to think that the Lions value Roy Lopez and the Patriots value Khyris Tonga more than the Cardinals do.
To make matters worse in my opinion —- Monti then went and gave 32-year-old QB Jacoby Brissett a 2-year $12.5M contract to be the veteran backup to Kyler Murray. While Jacoby Brissett played reasonably well as the bridge QB in CLE in 2022, despite the Browns’ vaunted defense, with Brissett at QB they went 4-7. This year as the bridge QB in NE, Brissett went 1-4 and for those of us who watched those games, he made critical 4th quarter mistakes in the 4th quarter of two home games versus the Seahawks and Dolphins where the Pats had the lead. It was a real struggle for Brissett just to avoid taking another 3-and-out.
Paying a veteran backup QB $12.5M for two years is the kind of thing a GM with a championship caliber roster with no glaring holes does.
The irony is that Monti Ossenfort, if he had decided to use the $12.6M combined that he gave to two veteran offensive depth players who are likely to have a minimal impact on the team’s success this season and put it towards outbidding the field on Milton Williams, Jonathan Allen or Javon Hargrave, things would look a whole lot brighter for the Cardinals’ chances and the perception that this time around they are actually serious about winning.
And it just galls me to think that after Day 2, the Rams, having already built a formidable defensive line over the past two seasons through the draft have already jumped in and added NT Poonah Ford on a 1-year $10M contract.
It’s like Monti doesn’t know what to do with the money.
Money that for 3 years he’s been trying to build and save to finally bust a major move in free agency.
Like drafting for quantity over quality —-
Like not having a clear plan for the draft picks like the Lions, Chiefs and Rams do —- when they draft players it’s to plug and play them right away so as to accelerate their development and not impede it.
But I am not giving up on my hope to see QB Clayton Tune finally get a fair chance.
I believe that Clayton Tune will win the job like he did last year over Desmond Ridder (8-10). Tune has a stronger, more accurate arm and quicker feet.
I am not giving up hope that Tejhuan Palmer will develop into the fast, big-target slot WR that made him stand out on the UAB tapes and that Xavier Weaver could be the deep threat to take the top off the defense.
And I am not giving up hope that will be brighter days of free agency ahead.
Day 2 just felt especially underwhelming and agonizingly disappointing.
The Arizona Cardinals have bring back L.J. Collier to the defensive line room.
The Arizona Cardinals have continued to add to their free agents they are retaining, today re-signing defensive lineman L.J. Collier.
From the team:
Collier gives the Arizona Cardinals at least four guys along the defensive line in Collier, Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones and Darius Robinson.
Welcome back, L.J.
