Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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In the week of free agency – covering the tampering period that basically served as the period's opening – the Cardinals haven't been shy of moves.
They followed up their early surprise nabbing of J.J. Watt by signing wide receiver A.J. Green, kicker Matt Prater and guard Brian Winters. They traded for center Rodney Hudson. They re-signed linebacker Markus Golden, right tackle Kelvin Beachum, linebacker Tanner Vallejo, offensive lineman Max Garcia and punter Andy Lee (who officially was announced Monday.)
But building and maintaining an NFL roster is always fluid, and as always, it isn't just who has arrived but who has left – and what holes remain – that remain at the top of GM Steve Keim's to-do list.
Patrick Peterson, whose departure to Minnesota sounds like it was pretty straight-forward, is gone and now the Cardinals are woefully thin at cornerback. Tight end too, after Dan Arnold went to Carolina, but certainly, cornerback is a position of need.
"Every team has holes," Keim said Monday. "One thing you don't want to do is panic and do things that put you in a tough situation from a cap standpoint."
The Cardinals currently have two cornerbacks on the roster with experience. Robert Alford, who has not played in a regular-season game since 2018 because of season-ending injuries in training camp each of the last two seasons, and Byron Murphy.
Keim downplayed the idea that Murphy would fill one of the starting two cornerback roles, not surprising given that the Cards love how Murphy fits in the slot – which is essentially a starting cornerback job these days.
"To find guys who can play inside is a little more difficult than years in the past," Keim said. "It's a tough position with the two-way 'go's and the quickness that is required to play inside. We think Murph is one of the better inside corners in the NFL."
Adding to the position – and to tight end and potentially running back – is an ongoing process, Keim said, with the GM listing again both Wave 3 free agency, the draft and still potential trades to fill such holes.
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