The Arizona Cardinals had money to spend in free agency this offseason, but they’ve instead made little impact. However, that’s a good thing.
The Arizona Cardinals prize free agent signee so far in the early stages of 2023 free agency is former Philadelphia Eagle Kyzir White. White, who totaled 110 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2022 will line up next to Zaven Collins and in certain packages, Isaiah Simmons. He brings knowledge of the systems head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis plan to run.
Next to White, Arizona has made less than flashy moves, bringing back a few key names like Kelvin Beachum, Will Hernandez, Matt Prater, and Corey Clement. They also signed interior offensive lineman Hjale Froholdt, who could fill the void at center if Big Red stands pat at the position.
Arizona Cardinals moves less than flashy, but necessary and low-risk
Fans who hoped for a quick turnaround based on prize signing after prize signing (see Chicago Bears), will be wildly disappointed. And they will likely chastise the A+ grade I’m giving Arizona.
Why? Well, after a decade of trying to do this the Steve Keim way, it didn’t work too well. The Cardinals made one measly deep playoff run under Keim, and they often underachieved, even after putting forth some solid rosters.
So really, why do this again? Two words: You don’t. Therefore, the moves Ossenfort made aren’t going to bring you out of your seat. But they are sensible, low-risk options that will fill some much-needed gaps so the general manager and head coach Jonathan Gannon can work on bringing in their own players.
Overall, don’t expect the Cardinals to be finished yet in free agency. They are going to use that available cap space for draft picks, and to extend current talent when that time comes.
No guarantees that Ossenfort’s method is any better than Keim’s. But if Keim’s way of running this team worked, he’d still be sitting in Ossenfort’s seat. So let the new regime go to work.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)