Top 5 bargain-basement additions the Arizona Cardinals can make
There are several intriguing free agents who would likely give the Arizona Cardinals a sizable discount at this point in the offseason,
By Jim Koch
Throughout the offseason, the Arizona Cardinals front office has refrained from handing out big bucks to unemployed veterans. This year has been about tearing it up, and basically fixing the mess that the previous regime left behind. General manager Monti Ossenfort is engineering the rebuild, and things are expected to be pretty bad in the desert while the transformation is taking place.
All of that is well and good, but there's no reason for the Redbirds to completely wave the white flag on the upcoming season. While high-priced acquisitions appear to be out of the question, there's still some savvy moves that can be made. Bargain-basement additions to the roster that could make the Cards more interesting to watch this coming fall.
Training camp is rapidly approaching, but there's still time to improve what is looking like a dire situation in Arizona. According to Spotrac.com, "Big Red" has roughly $23.2 million in available salary-cap space at the present time. The following are five free agents the Cardinals could potentially acquire at a reasonable price who could help the squad be more competitive in 2023.
5 free agents still available to help the Arizona Cardinals
Trey Flowers - Defensive End
The departures of J.J. Watt and Zach Allen could have a crippling effect on the Cards pass rush. After all, the duo combined for 18 of the team's 36 sacks last fall. At the moment, Arizona's plan is to lean on youngsters such as Cameron Thomas, Myjai Sanders, BJ Ojulari, and possibly even Zaven Collins to make up for the losses of last season's dynamic duo.
While youth on defense is certainly a good thing, it may behoove the Cardinals to add some experience to the current group of edge-rushers. Trey Flowers, a 6 foot 2, 265 pounder from the Miami Dolphins, is a proven veteran with 31.5 sacks on his professional resume. Would Ossenfort have any interest in acquiring the still-available 29-year-old?
Truth be told, Flowers is coming off of a foot injury that sidelined him for 13 games in 2022. If healthy, the former New England Patriots draft pick could benefit from a fresh start in the "Valley of the Sun". The Cards could use a sack specialist who has been around the block a time or two, so a one-year, "prove-it" contract for Flowers could make sense for both parties.