Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has made some excellent free agent acquisitions after the initial wave of free agency many times in the past. Look no further than Pro Bowler James Conner, whom the team added last April.
The Cardinals entered the NFL draft with needs at cornerback, wide receiver and edge rusher. These positions of need were confirmed by Keim during his pre-draft press conference a few days prior to the first round.
The team added Marquise Brown in exchange for their first round pick and drafted back-to-back edge rushers in the third round. The team did not address cornerback until the seventh round.
Many thought the Cardinals were content with their cornerback room, but perhaps they are looking for more based on Keim’s comments and how the draft played out.
One intriguing option could be cornerback James Bradberry from the New York Giants. Bradberry earned his Pro Bowl honors in 2020 after a stellar campaign. His play declined a bit last year but so did the team as a whole.
The Giants have been actively looking to trade Bradberry due to their rebuilding situation and a massive cap hit due for this season. His cap hit is approximately $22 million for this season, so it makes sense for the team to look for a way to move on given their current state.
After failing to find a trade partner, it appears the Giants are set to release their Pro Bowl corner. General manager Joe Schoen spoke to the media earlier this week with some clarifying news.
“We should have some resolution hopefully by the end of the week,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because he’s a great kid.”
For the Cardinals, adding a player like Bradberry late in the offseason, particularly without having to give up draft capital would be a major boost to their defense. The cornerback room, in its current state, is young and athletic but without established Pro-Bowlers like Bradberry.
The 29-year-old pro would join a position room that already features Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson, the latter of whom the Cards expect a big jump from. The team also added Jeff Gladney in the offseason, but adding Bradberry only makes the team better.
Cornerback was an area of weakness late in the season for the Cardinals. Following injuries to Marco Wilson and Robert Alford, they were unable to stop most of the passing offenses they came across. Bradberry would have helped tremendously in that area last year.
Spotrac estimates Bradberry’s market value to be $12.5 million per season. That is a much more manageable number than the cap hit on his current deal. Perhaps that number shrinks, particularly given the later point in the offseason that we’re at.
The Cardinals have maintained that they did right by not overspending or overreacting to the first wave of free agency and that they’ll stay aggressive the rest of the way. Let’s see if adding a Pro-Bowl caliber player at a position of need is on their radar in the coming days.
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