Several Arizona Cardinals could be salary-cap casualties

There are several players who could be targeted for release if the Arizona Cardinals elect to free up some salary cap space

For all intents and purposes, the spending spree for the 2020 Arizona Cardinals is over. The club’s front office added some quality players over the past few months, but there’s very little money left. Any cash that Arizona does have remaining (roughly $7 million according to Spotrac.com) will be needed to get this year’s draft class under contract.

If some salary cap space did become a necessity, however, the Cards would have a couple of options. One would be to grant extensions to valued members of the team, such as Patrick Peterson, DeAndre Hopkins or Kenyan Drake. Another way to free up room under the cap would be to simply cut ties with any individuals who the squad feels they could get along without.

One performer who could very well fit into that category is Haason Reddick, the Cardinals first-round draft pick in 2017. After three uninspiring seasons in the desert, the 25-year old linebacker would possibly benefit from a fresh start somewhere else. Reddick, despite his success at the college level, never seemed to produce like Arizona had hoped he would.

Another Cardinals defender who may find himself on the chopping block is nose tackle Corey Peters. The 32-year old is entering the last season of a three-year deal he signed back in ’17. This past April, the Cards drafted the University of Utah’s Leki Fotu as a possible replacement for the aging Peters.

Cornerback Robert Alford, a free agent acquisition from 2019, has yet to play a down for Arizona. The 31-year old suffered a broken bone in his leg last August, just months after he was handed a three-year, $22.5 million contract by the organization. With capable cover guys like Peterson and Byron Murphy in the starting lineup, the Cardinals could ultimately decide that Alford is simply an overpaid question mark at this point in his career.

J.R. Sweezy started all 16 games at right guard for the Cards last year, but the franchise could elect to go in a different direction in ’20. There’s been some talk about the veteran being replaced by rookie offensive lineman Josh Jones this coming fall. If that did occur, it would not be surprising if Arizona’s management elected to part ways with the 31-year old Sweezy this summer.

In a perfect world, the Cardinals would love nothing more than to keep everyone mentioned in this article. Unfortunately, the league sets a limit on how much a franchise can spend. Who stays and who goes will be determined by general manager Steve Keim and his cohorts over the next couple of months.