Arizona Cardinals: Several free agents are still unemployed
By Jim Koch
A contingent of free agents who were with the Arizona Cardinals last season are still searching for employment in the NFL
While the coronavirus has caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, there are several Arizona Cardinals free agents who are also unemployed. A boatload of NFL players have already found work, but there’s a group of individuals who were with the Cards in 2019 who are hoping to land with a team.
The biggest name among that group is center A.Q. Shipley, a veteran center who started all 16 games for Arizona last fall. During a video conference last week, head coach Kliff Kingsbury referred to the 33-year old’s situation as a “work in progress”. It’s not entirely clear what that means, but it would not be totally surprising if the Cardinals decided to go with either Mason Cole or Lamont Gaillard at the position in 2020.
There was a slight bit of optimism last year when the Cards signed tight end Charles Clay to a one-year contract. The former Miami Dolphins draft pick brought a wealth of experience with him to the desert, but contributed just 18 receptions and one touchdown in 15 appearances (10 starts) for his new squad. Arizona has not publicly shut the door on Clay returning for another campaign, but the organization could ultimately decide that they’d be just fine with Maxx Williams and Dan Arnold at the spot.
Back in February of ’19, the Cardinals believed that they had landed a competent pass rusher to the mix. Brooks Reed was inked to a one-year deal by general manager Steve Keim, but likely won’t receive another offer from their front office this offseason. The former Houston Texan and Atlanta Falcon totaled just eight tackles and one sack for the Cards before a hamstring injury ended his season in week nine.
A couple of days into the ’19 campaign, Arizona signed right tackle Jordan Mills as a replacement for the injured Marcus Gilbert. But after appearing in just three contests (two starts) for Big Red, the former Chicago Bear and Buffalo Bill was also sidelined for the year. Now that 12-game starter Justin Murray and Gilbert have been handed new contracts, it’s pretty much a guarantee that Mills will be moving on.
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One more Cardinals free agent who remains unsigned is disgraced safety Josh Shaw. The former Cincinnati Bengal was lost for the year in August with a shoulder issue, but the worst was yet to come. It was announced in November that Shaw had bet on NFL games, and would be suspended for the entire 2020 campaign.