Arizona Cardinals preparing for free agency’s second wave

The first-round of free agency has come and gone and now the Arizona Cardinals must concentrate on a condensed list of players

The Arizona Cardinals were busy little beavers on the first day of the 2017 free agency period. Chandler Jones’ blockbuster deal was completed, A.Q.Shipley was retained and Karlos Dansby, Antoine Bethea and Phil Dawson were added.

And now comes phase two. This is usually a time when more of the one-year contracts are handed out. Most of the stars of the class have already found homes with multi-year agreements.

There is still quality remaining on the market. Players that can certainly help the Cardinals, at least for the 2017 campaign.

With Shipley returning to his center position, four-fifths of the offensive line appears set in stone. Jared Veldheer and D.J.Humphries will again man the tackle spots, although which sides they will play on has yet to be determined. Mike Iupati will be back at left guard, hoping to regain his Pro Bowl form.

Right guard is still a concern. Evan Mathis has retired, Earl Watford has departed. The team does have an in-house candidate in Evan Boehm who may be given a chance to win the job.

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There are also free agent possibilities who are awaiting their phones to ring (or vibrate). It’s a list that includes D.J.Fluker, John Jerry, Jahri Evans, Tim Lelito, Brandon Fusco, Chris Chester and Jermon Bushrod.

The front office addressed the club’s horrendous special teams early, inking the 42-year old Dawson to be their kicker. But the unit could use more reinforcements, and help is available.

Cordarrelle Patterson may be the best return man in the NFL. Signing him would help improve an area that’s been anemic for quite awhile now. He’d also give the squad another option at wide receiver.

Running back Rex Burkhead tallied an impressive 13 special teams tackles last year. He could also prove valuable as a backup to starting back David Johnson. Linebacker Bryan Braman has made a nice living on coverage teams throughout his career, and can also be had.

There is again a need for a number-two cornerback for the Cards’ secondary. A.J.Bouye, Stephon Gilmore, Logan Ryan and Dre Kirkpatrick have already signed, and their contracts probably exceeded Arizona’s budget. There are second-tier corners available though, including Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Darius Butler, Davon House and Sterling Moore.

There are other pieces needed to fill out the roster for the upcoming season. The draft is another tool that will be used to complete the task. But for now fans, free agency part two is in our mist.