Last season for the Arizona Cardinals was an amazing and fun ride as they finished 13-3 and won the NFC West. For the first time since 2008, when Arizona went to Super Bowl 43, football was once again exciting in the desert.
There were many reasons why the Cardinals had a great season such as quarterback Carson Palmer staying healthy, rookie running back David Johnson coming out of nowhere, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald turning back the clock, and cornerback Patrick Peterson establishing himself as one of the league’s best cornerbacks. While all of those players played essential roles in the Cardinals having a successful year. There were other players, who were signed in the summer of 2015 that made an impact as well.
In the summer of 2015, the Cardinals were coming off a 2014 campaign that saw them go 11-5 and lose to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wildcard game without the likes of Palmer and running back Andre Ellington, both due to injuries. Heading into the 2015 preseason, many analysts knew that Arizona had young talent on both sides of the ball, but needed more pieces to get them over the hump.
With that in mind, the Cardinals signed running back Chris Johnson and tight end Jermaine Gresham. Johnson came off a tumultuous season in 2014 with the New York Jets, where he only rushed for 663 yards and a touchdown. After his 2014 performance, many people were wondering if Johnson still had anything left in the tank.
Obviously, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Steve Keim believed that Johnson had something left in the tank and gave him a chance to make the roster. Johnson had to earn his spot on the 53-man roster like everyone else and he did that playing on a one-year, $2 million deal.
Johnson showed the entire league that he can still be a formidable running back and gave Arizona a three-headed monster at the running back position that alleviated some of the pressure off of Palmer, who was just coming back from an ACL injury. Johnson finished the season with 814 rushing yards on 196 carries and three touchdowns, making it one of his better seasons since 2013.
He possibly could have had more rushing yards, if he did not go down with a leg injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. But his injury allowed David Johnson to step into the spotlight and become the number one back in the desert. Last season, the Cardinals’ running game was ranked eighth in the NFL, averaging 119.8 yards per game. That is a far cry from 2014, where they were ranked 31st and only averaged 81.8 yards per game.
This offseason, the Cardinals brought back the 30 year-old Johnson, on a one-year, $1.5 million deal as he has shown the front office that CJ2K is still there.
Along with signing of Johnson, Arizona also added tight end Jermaine Gresham. The 6-foot-5, 261-pound target out of the University of Oklahoma had a solid 2014 season with the Cincinnati Bengals, but knew his time was winding up with Tyler Eifert waiting in the wings.
The Bengals let Gresham walk as a free agent that offseason. Gresham knew that he had a few suitors that wanted his services, but the Cardinals knew he was must get for Palmer. Last season with Arizona, Gresham only had 18 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown, but helped the Cardinals with blocking, which was another key to their success.
Just like Johnson, Arizona made sure to keep Gresham around, signing him to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. Gresham should be another consistent target this upcoming season for Palmer.
Despite the additions of the Gresham and Johnson, the Cardinals were not done adding veterans to their team last season. During the season, the Cardinals signed defensive end Dwight Freeney to a one-year deal and he led them in sacks with eight. He became a pass rushing specialist for Arizona and helped them be ranked 21st in sacks with 36.
Currently, Freeney is a free agent and wants to play for a contender. We will see if he plays this upcoming season for the Cardinals or someone else.
Nevertheless, the Cardinals are back at it again, signing veteran free agents before the regular season begins. Just this week, the Cardinals signed cornerback Mike Jenkins, who spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last season with Tampa Bay, Jenkins had 13 tackles and five pass deflections. He also played 30 percent of defensive and 25.3 percent of special teams snaps. He should provide competition and depth in the secondary and on special teams.
Staying in the secondary, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, cornerback Chris Culliver is also visiting the Cardinals next week. Everyone remembers Culliver from his days in San Francisco, but last season he was with the Washington Redskins, where he suffered an ACL injury in November. It will be interesting to see how far along Culliver is after suffering that injury.
Finally, earlier in the offseason, the Cardinals signed veteran offensive lineman Evan Mathis to a one-year deal, who helped anchor a Broncos’ offensive line to a Super Bowl victory.
Last season, we saw the veteran free agent signings Arizona made help them to the NFC Championship. But can these low-risk veteran free agents signings they made this offseason translate into the same success and propel them to a Super Bowl berth? Only time will tell.
