Arizona Cardinals: Steve Keim’s modus operandi

Every general manager has a philosophy that guides their decision making, Arizona Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim is no different.

Arizona Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim has a strategy for building a roster. Every NFL GM does. But GM’s are in a competitive business, where misinformation is a form of capital, and smokescreens are ubiquitous. As such, Keim is not likely to fully disclose his strategies to the media or fans.

In the absence of such a treatise, however, there are ways of divining Keim’s methods – his modus operandi.

The first step in attempting to identify Keim’s strategies, is to examine his actions since taking over as GM in 2013. This includes looking at the free agents he signs, the free agents he doesn’t sign, the players he drafts, and the players he cuts. Individually, these appear to be a disparate collection of roster moves. In the aggregate, however, these moves begin to form discernible patterns.

To a lesser degree, Keim’s interviews and quotes can also shed some light on the matter. It is important to note, however, that many of those quotes will be intentionally vague, and may perhaps even be intended to misinform other NFL front offices- especially in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft.

Based on his actions and careful consideration of his quotes, the following are what I believe to be some of Steve Keim’s guiding principles for managing an NFL roster.