Tight end and safety agree to deals with Arizona Cardinals

The front office of the Arizona Cardinals has been incredibly busy during the current offseason. General manager Steve Keim and his cohorts have brought a bevy of new faces to the Arizona desert. It’s an outstanding group that includes J.J. Watt, Rodney Hudson, Malcolm Butler, A.J. Green, Matt Prater and Brian Winters.

Hanging on to a contingent of the club’s own players has also been a part of Keim’s 2021 to-do list. Several have found homes with other teams (Patrick Peterson, Kenyan Drake, Haason Reddick, Dan Arnold), while a few others have been welcomed back to the nest. On Thursday, the Cards kept two more individuals who’ve made contributions to the squad in recent years.

Tight end Darrell Daniels and safety Charles Washington both reached agreement with the Cardinals on one-year contracts. Neither were considered a high-priority signing for the team, but each serves a particular purpose nonetheless.

Last season, Daniels appeared in 12 games for the Redbirds, and was credited with eight starts. However, the 6’3, 256 pounder hauled in just eight passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Arizona is in dire need of a significant contributor at the tight end position, but Daniels is obviously better suited for a complimentary type of role.

While Washington is listed as a safety on the Cards depth chart, the 28-year old provides the most value as a special teams performer. The 5’10, 192 pounder made an impressive eight tackles as a wedge-buster in 2020. It appears that the Cardinals may be willing to let veteran safety Chris Banjo depart in free agency, which could mean more snaps on defense for Washington this coming fall.

Daniels and Washington are just two of Arizona’s free agents that the team’s management elected to bring back. Other returnees include outside linebacker Markus Golden, inside linebacker Tanner Vallejo and punter Andy Lee. The Cards also re-signed two offensive linemen, right tackle Kelvin Beachum and guard Max Garcia, to brand-new deals.