Arizona Cardinals doing just fine without general manager
By Jim Koch
General manager Steve Keim’s absence from the front office has not prevented the Arizona Cardinals from acquiring reinforcements
Things have apparently not changed in the least for the Arizona Cardinals. The club’s propensity for signing free agents just prior to training camp is still in vogue. With no general manager currently in the front office, there was many who thought that personnel moves would be put on hold for awhile.
There are indications that Steve Keim’s suspension, which stemmed from his July 4th arrest for driving under the influence, isn’t that big of a deal. It’s not entirely clear who is in charge down at Cards’ headquarters at the present time. Whoever is running the show, however, certainly deserves props for the job they’ve done thus far.
The defense, to this point, has been the main beneficiary. On July 26th, Arizona addressed the defensive end position by acquiring a pair of linemen. Arthur Moats has tallied 228 tackles and 16.5 sacks in eight NFL seasons, while Jacquies Smith has collected 13.5 sacks of his own since 2012.
But the more noteworthy acquisition occurred one day later. The Cardinals were able to land Tre Boston, a highly-regarded safety coming off of the best season of his career. Last year with the Los Angeles Chargers, the 26-year old recorded 79 tackles, five interceptions and eight passes defensed in his lone campaign with the squad.
The most interesting aspect of the Boston transaction was the fact that Keim had struck out while attempting to land the veteran back in June. That the Cards’ current management team was able to woo the player without their top executive involved is a bit concerning. Was it Keim who had prevented the deal from coming to fruition the first time?
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The next order of business for the organization is reaching an agreement with running back David Johnson on an extension. How bad would Keim look if his stand-ins are able to negotiate such a major contract without his input? If that were to occur, that four-year extension that was given to Keim back in February may look like even more of a mistake than it already does.