Between now and the start of the new league year in March, TGS is providing brief summaries looking ahead at the offseason from the perspective of each NFL team. In this edition, we look at the Arizona Cardinals.
2016 record: 7-8-1 — 2nd place, NFC West
What’s new? Not a lot, but that could change very soon.
Projected salary cap space: $32 million — Middle of the pack.
Key in-house free agents: LB Chandler Jones, DE Calais Campbell, S Tony Jefferson, S D.J. Swearinger, C A.Q. Shipley, LB Kevin Minter, LB Sio Moore, TE Jermaine Gresham, CB Marcus Cooper
Ahhh yeah, they have a lot of work to do and not a ton of money to spend. Jones is likely to be hit with the franchise tag, but that’ll leave them with even less cash and key cogs like Campbell and Jefferson to try to re-sign. The rest of those guys aren’t stars, but losing them would hurt.
Key needs: They’ll need front-seven rushers if they don’t bring back Jones and/or Campbell and they’ll need a safety to team up with Tyrann Mathieu if they don’t bring back Jefferson and/or Swearinger. They could also use help at corner, inside linebacker, guard and wide receiver.
Draft breakdown: They have the No. 13 overall pick and two fifth-round selections.
Other potential priorities: They know Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are coming back for at least one more year, but they may need to start searching for long-term replacements for both.
Outlook: Even with a good draft situation, this is a team that looks like it’ll get worse before it gets better.
