Arizona Cardinals foolish for adding aging receiver

The Arizona Cardinals signed ex-Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green to a one-year deal. This makes yet another signing for the Cardinals, who have made it a habit so far during free agency to add aging players to the roster.

While it’s true the Cardinals needed a legitimate WR2, can we really say for certain whether A.J. Green is the real deal? Over the past 3 seasons, Green has logged just 93 receptions from 181 targets. Do the math. It’s not a good catch rate.

In 2020, he logged just 47 receptions on 104 targets for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns. Want more fun? Green averaged 2.9 receptions per game, and a low 32.7 receiving yards per game. He had a catch percentage rate of just 45.2 percent. The first time he has logged a catch percentage rate under 50 percent in his NFL career.

Since 2018, Green has played in just 25 of a possible 48 games, indicating he has become injury-prone in his later years. On paper, this looks like a wasted signing, considering Green’s lack of health and production over the past 3 seasons.

The Cardinals had so many options out there and they still do. However, they could’ve had a younger, more legit WR2 in Corey Davis, who signed with the New York Jets. They could’ve brought back John Brown, who went to Vegas.

Earlier in the month, the Cardinals signed J.J. Watt. Watt can still play, but like Green, he’s also aging and on the back-nine of his career. Watt was a decent signing. But signing Green should make any Cardinals fan question what kind of job general manager Steve Keim is doing.

The Cardinals need to compete in one of the toughest divisions in football. Signing A.J. Green doesn’t do that. After a stellar start to his career, Green has taken a nosedive in just about every statistical category. And rather than insurance, Green’s presence won’t draw anyone away from DeAndre Hopkins at this point in his career.