3 free agent do-overs for Arizona Cardinals from 2023
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals are building their team the right way in 2023. But that doesn’t mean general manager Monti Ossenfort couldn’t have done more.
General manager Monti Ossenfort is building the Arizona Cardinals up the right way, which is more drafting and less in the free agent signing department. However, we are just a little over a month from training camp, and the Cards still have more than their fair share of weak spots on the roster.
If I were in charge of the Redbirds, I’d have at least signed a few more players to fill major holes on the roster as stopgaps. These would have been sensible one-year or two-year agreements.
Those I listed below who were available this past March during free agency aren’t household names. But they would have been at least serviceable for the Cardinals this season. Let’s check them out.
3 free agent do-overs for the Arizona Cardinals
1 - Sign Khalen Saunders, DT
Khalen Saunders is the first name that jumped out at me. He saw two Super Bowl wins as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs before he signed with the New Orleans Saints for $12 million over three seasons this past offseason.
While Saunders did little in his first three NFL seasons, he played in 16 games in 2022, recorded 48 tackles, 3.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss. Not eye-popping numbers, but he’s a player the Cardinals could have used in the middle of the defensive line in a 4-3, and at end in a 3-4.
At this time, the Cards have the worst defensive line in football, or at least the worst interior defensive line. Saunders wouldn’t have changed that narrative, but he would have at least formed a respectable rotation with the likes of L.J. Coller, Carlos Watkins, Dante Stills, and even Leki Fotu. Instead, the Cards will need to generate pressure from the outside and hope their linebackers can converge to hide the interior line’s weaknesses.