The Arizona Cardinals are making smart roster moves

Moves at defensive back

Tony Jefferson, D.J. Swearinger, and Antoine Bethea

Talent and age were not an issue for former Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson. He is a young, ascending player. After joining the Cardinals as an undrafted rookie, Jefferson worked diligently to develop into a top player at his position.

As with Campbell, the Cardinals made an effort to re-sign Jefferson. But, as was also the case with Campbell, the Cardinals were not willing to offer enough to secure Jefferson’s services.

Some will contend that safeties are more important than 3-4 defensive ends, especially in today’s NFL. While that may be the case, the fact that good safeties are not terribly difficult to find, likely prevented the Cardinals from offering Jefferson the kind of contract he sought.

Many fans thought that the Cardinals would look to D.J. Swearinger as their plan B after Jefferson signed with the Ravens. Instead, Swearinger signed a three-year contract with Washington, for $13.5 million. Like Jefferson, positional scarcity was likely a factor preventing the Cardinals from competing for Swearinger’s services.

Swearinger’s off the field history may have also played a role. While, the Cardinals were happy to give Swearinger a third chance as an affordable reclamation project.

Signing him to a long-term contract at market rate, is another thing altogether. Instead, the Cardinals appear to have opted for leadership over youth, by signing veteran safety Antoine Bethea to a three-year contract, worth $12.75 million, only slightly less than Swearinger’s deal with Washington.

Marcus Cooper

Cornerback Marcus Cooper was a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals last season. With rookie Brandon Williams and special teams ace Justin Bethel both struggling to grab hold of the starting cornerback position opposite Patrick Peterson, Cooper made the most of his opportunity. He started 15 games for the Cardinals, and was named as a Pro Bowl alternate.

As good as this sounds, Cooper’s decent stats were misleading. His play was inconsistent, and his Pro Football Focus grade of 45.5 was well below average. Despite his own struggles, Justin Bethel’s PFF grade of 71.0 was much better than Cooper’s grade.

Cooper was a good value in 2016, when his salary was $675,000. But his contract with the Chicago Bears came in at three years and $16 million. At that price, the Cardinals are better off to look to Bethel or Brandon Williams, or perhaps attempt to find a starter early in the draft.