Rumors are swirling that cornerback Davon House may soon become available and the Arizona Cardinals could certainly use him
It’s that time of the year, a time when the Arizona Cardinals need to be paying attention. With free agency approaching, NFL clubs are creating salary cap space by cutting veterans who are making too much scratch. The spending spree will officially begin next week, and teams are making their shopping lists.
Jacksonville Jaguar’s cornerback Davon House could be one of those veterans. After signing a huge free agent deal before the 2015 season, House found himself riding the bench last year. Jags’ management obviously feels the corner’s $6 million cap hit for 2017 no longer makes sense.
It started out well in Florida for the former fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers. After he was inked to his new contract in ’15, House tallied 60 tackles, four interceptions and an outstanding 23 pass breakups. Excellent numbers to say the least.
But things went downhill last year. After his play slipped, House got benched in favor of the club’s newest free agent cornerback, Prince Amukamara. $6 million is way too much cash to pay a player who may not even be a starter on their defense.
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And that’s where the Cardinals come in. Though the Jags would prefer to trade House, they most likely won’t find an organization willing to take on that contract. Arizona certainly couldn’t afford that kind of cap hit, especially with all of their own free agents seeking new deals.
But it’s a different story if House is out-right released. General Manager Steve Keim would then be able to negotiate a new deal with the 27-year old. It could even be in the form of one of Keim’s famous one-year “prove-it ” contracts, in which the player hopes to parlay a good season into a bigger-money deal next year.
House’s style of play appears to be a perfect fit for defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s scheme. He’s a “press ” corner, which is the kind of cover guy the coaching staff covets. He also has the size (6’0″, 195) the staff prefers for the position.
All Keim can do for now is wait. Wait for House, and possibly others, to hit the market. Hopefully he’s paying attention.