With the hiring of Mike LaFleur being official, we can finally shift our focus to the next phase of the Cardinals' rebuild. This would be free agency, unless you care deeply about personnel hirings on the coaching staff.
Arizona will be in the market for a plethora of different positions, with offensive line and running back being the top priority.
The Cardinals have Paris Johnson Jr. as their anchor up front at tackle, with Kelvin Beachum opposite of him. However, at 36 years of age, Beachum is getting ready to hang it up soon. An unrestricted free agent as well, it would be wise for general manager Monti Ossenfort to get ahead of the departure and sign his replacement.
CBS Sports thinks this as well, and they project one of the top guys on the market to sign in the desert.
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CBS Sports Projects Cardinals To Sign OT Rasheed Walker
Talk about betting on yourself, Rasheed Walker’s salary in 2025 was $935,218 thousand. His market value ahead of the March 11 tampering period is around $20 million, and he will be getting a multi-year contract with someone. That is a guarantee.
CBS Sports said the following about Walker:
“It was an up-and-down year for the Packers' offensive line, mostly due to injuries, but Walker played in all 17 games and has been a major success story as a former seventh-round pick. He cashes in on that success with a handsome deal from Arizona.”
Plugging Walker into an offensive line that already has Paris Johnson Jr. on the other side would be perfect for the offense. It would give whoever is under center in 2026 plenty of protection, and it could open up the run game on the outside.
What would make this move even better is the fact that head coach Mike LaFleur would be stealing one of his brother’s best players on offense.
It’s up to Ossenfort to make this happen, but there is no reason it shouldn’t.