Arizona Cardinals fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for J.J Watt
J.J. Watt was shockingly granted his release from the murky depths of the Houston Texans franchise last Friday. I literally did a spit-take when the news reached my phone, as the Texans have sunk pretty quickly since losing to the Chiefs in the Divisional round of the playoffs.Now there are droves of Arizona Cardinals fans who are imploring general manager Steve Keim to sign the 10 year vet who is the pride of Pewaukee, Wisconsin (a town that is only 15 minutes away from where I grew up).
The excitement is definetly understandable, as it’s not often that two of a franchise’s best players ever are in some sort of acquisition talk. But let’s pump the brakes. The Arizona Cardinals do NOT need J.J. Watt, nor should they sign him and here’s the reasons why:
- Injury history
- Cap demand
- Current defense is better without him
Looking back at his injuries, it’s well documented that he’s become more and more mortal than when he won his 3 DPOY awards early in his career. Yes he may still have something left in the tank, but is he an every down player?
This leads me to my next point. How much would you be willing to give up to a guy like this, especially if he isn’t going to play every down on defense? Do me a favor- take the name away. Look at the injuries, and look at his recent stats and games missed. Still seem enticing? There’s no way he’ll get another 6 year, 100 million dollar contract from any team, but he will probably ask for roughly 8-11 million per year.
Would signing someone whose only had two full seasons in the past 5 years really be that exciting and game changing to the team? The Cardinals gave up the most yards this past year on first down when on defense, where they let up almost 5.4ypc on the ground and an astonishing 7.0 yards per attempt when teams passed the ball.
Usually when pass rushers get older they come out for third downs or obvious passing situations (see the Dwight Freeney 2015 season). Would Watt really play on first down? I can’t see it happening.
Related Story. The state of the Cardinals defensive line. light
On top of all of that, the young core on the defensive side of the ball is mostly on a cheaper contract (sans Budda Baker and Chandler Jones). This team jumped up to 10th in sacks without Jones for most of the year. Sure, the experience and what he could teach the youngins would be valuable, but is it more important than getting secondary help? Keep this team together, and let them shine.
Let him go somewhere else, Arizona Cardinals fans. The defense has other positions to worry about.