Time has come for Steve Keim to make the Cardinals shine

An underwhelming offseason by the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals can be turned around by a couple of key additions.

The National Football League’s prognosticators have not been very kind to the Arizona Cardinals over the past few months.

In all fairness, Cards general manager Steve Keim has not given pro football analysts a whole lot to get excited about.

Sure, there was the draft-day trade that brought wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the desert. Take away that acquisition, however, and the Cardinals front office could be handed an offseason grade that would hover around a “D” or perhaps even an “F.”

Despite the pessimism, there are still free agents remaining on the open market, which would make the Cards a better squad this coming fall.

Veterans who, if acquired, could quite possibly turn the team’s many detractors into believers by the time September rolls around.

Steve Keim has made solid late-offseason additions to the Arizona Cardinals.

During his decade as Arizona’s GM, Keim has mastered the art of the one-year, “prove-it” deal. It’s an agreement that convinces experienced players to accept less money for the upcoming campaign. The idea is that the individuals will perform well enough to cash in as free agents when the following offseason arrives.

Keim has strengthened the Cards’ defense with summertime acquisitions such as John Abraham (two-year contract), Tommy Kelly, Tre Boston, Cassius Marsh, and Dre Kirkpatrick.

The executive has also stocked the club with talent on the offensive side of the ball. Eric Winston, Jermaine Gresham, Chris Johnson, Alex Boone, and Kelvin Beachum were all added during the summer months.

Though it occurred during the fall, the sales job that Keim pulled off to convince the great Dwight Freeney to join the Cardinals back in October of 2015 should also be a part of the list.

The time has come for Keim to work that type of magic once again for the Redbirds. Available free agents such as Jason Pierre-Paul, Joe Haden, J.C. Tretter (if ultimately needed), Ndamukong Suh, Linval Joseph, Cole Beasley, Janoris Jenkins, Sheldon Richardson, and Xavier Rhodes could help the franchise get to the next level in 2022.

According to OverTheCap.com, Arizona has roughly $11.5 million in salary-cap space to play with at the present time. Keim has sat on his hands for long enough. It’s time to get to work.