Logan Ryan would complete the Arizona Cardinals secondary

The veteran cornerback’s proclamation that he’d like to transition to safety could pique the interest of the Arizona Cardinals

The 2020 NFL campaign is now just a few weeks away, and the roster of the Arizona Cardinals is pretty much a finished product. The club’s general manager, Steve Keim, added several key players to a squad that posted just five wins last fall. The Cards have not made a postseason appearance in five years, but their productive offseason has many experts believing that the depressing streak could be coming to an end.

But despite all of the positives, there’s still room for improvement. One area of the Cardinals that could use an upgrade is the strong safety spot. Second-year defender Jalen Thompson showed promise last season as a rookie, but there’s a free agent defensive back who would give Arizona more bang for their buck at that position.

Logan Ryan, a former third-round draft choice of the New England Patriots, is still searching for employment. The 29-year old cornerback appeared on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” this past Thursday, and revealed something interesting. After spending the past seven seasons as one of the league’s top corners, the talented Ryan would like to make the move to safety.

If you examine Ryan’s 2019 statistics, the idea would appear to make a ton of sense. In 16 starts for the Tennessee Titans, the 5’11, 195 pounder recorded 100 tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, four interceptions and a whopping 18 pass breakups. Based on those numbers, Ryan is quite obviously much more than just a typical cover guy.

During the course of the television interview, Ryan stated that he’s more of an all-around defensive back. “I was a versatile player, a matchup guy, similar to a Tyrann Mathieu, maybe a Justin Simmons“. Cards fans would have to agree that having a player that resembles the now-departed “Honey Badger” roaming the secondary would be a pleasant sight to see.

Whether the Cardinals have the finances to add Ryan to their payroll is another story. Keim has done well in the past with several one-year “prove-it” deals late in the summer. Would Ryan take less money this fall in order to potentially cash in 2021?

Arizona would certainly benefit from having Ryan in their lineup. Pairing the two-time Super Bowl champion with Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker is an attractive thought. That scenario could literally be just a phone call from Keim away.