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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Execs Believe Cardinals Targeting Kyler Murray

March 1st, 2019 at 6:52pm CST by Micah Powell

It started off as mere speculation, but now executives around the league believe the Cardinals are looking to target Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes. 

That idea started with an old quote from new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who said he would take Murray with the top pick when he was the coach at Texas Tech. Though Kingsbury has professed Josh Rosen as his guy, Cardinals GM Steve Keim made waves when he said Rosen was there quarterback “for now” earlier this week. Rosen later added fuel to the fire when he deleted all of his Instagram posts relating to the organization. Now Vacchiano says that many around the league see all the speculation coming to fruition.

“I really think he’s going No. 1,” one league source said. “He fits exactly what Kingsbury wants to do out there.”

Murray would seem to be a nice fit for Kingsbury’s high-flying offense. He possesses game-breaking mobility to go along with an accurate touch and an impressive deep ball. It is all just speculation at this point, but the possibility of Kingsbury getting Murray and flipping Rosen, the team’s top pick in 2018, for picks is becoming more of a reality the closer we inch to the draft.

Most current mock drafts tie the Cardinals to Ohio State star pass rusher Nick Bosa at No. 1, but Murray is being tabbed anywhere from No. 5-10. It wouldn’t be a shock to hear his name called with the top selection come draft day.

 

Markus Golden Likely To Hit Open Market

February 24th, 2019 at 9:20am CST by Rory Parks

Just yesterday, we heard that the Cardinals and impending free agent Markus Golden have engaged in “periodic” contract talks. The implication was that Arizona could perhaps retain the talented pass rusher on a team-friendly deal, but it appears that Golden will not be under contract when free agency opens on March 13.

Per Matt Verderame of FanSided, Golden is expected to hit the open market (Twitter link). And given the premium that the league places on pass rushers, it is logical for him to do so, especially since Arizona does not appear willing to pony up a lot of cash to keep him. Verderame suggests that the Cardinals, who already have $19.5MM of their 2019 cap devoted to fellow edge defender Chandler Jones and who like the pass rushing talent available in this year’s draft, may not have a Golden re-up high on their list of priorities.

Golden has been limited by a torn ACL suffered in October 2017, which ended his 2017 campaign prematurely and forced him to miss the first several games of the 2018 season. He did end up playing in (and starting) 11 contests for the Cardinals last year, but he was clearly not the same explosive force he was in 2016, when he compiled 12.5 sacks and appeared on the verge of stardom.

Nonetheless, he will be just 28 next month — on March 13, coincidentally — and has at least some experience in both a 4-3 and 3-4 scheme. The upside is clearly there, and once some of the top pass rushers who are eligible for free agency are taken off the market via the franchise tag, Golden will begin to look more attractive.

Golden claims that he is fully healthy, and he believes the fact that he has been able to work out normally this offseason instead of rehabbing an injury will help him return to his 2016 level of performance.

Cardinals, Markus Golden In Talks

February 23rd, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Cardinals have another new coaching staff in place, Markus Golden has not been ruled out of the team’s plans.

Golden’s agent and the Cardinals have engaged in periodic discussions about staying in Arizona, the four-year veteran linebacker said during a Sirius XM Radio interview.

Kliff Kingsbury hired Vance Joseph to be his DC. Joseph used a 4-3 look during his season as the Dolphins’ DC in 2016 but kept the Broncos’ 3-4 set intact during his Denver stay. He said the Cardinals will use a 3-4 as well. Golden would prefer to land with a team that uses a 3-4 defense, though the former University of Missouri standout played as a 4-3 defensive end in college and functioned in this capacity last season after the Cards’ brief switch to a 4-3 alignment.

A torn ACL sidetracked Golden’s career. After a 12.5-sack 2016 season, the former second-round pick has registered just 2.5 since. He tore the ACL in October 2017 and was not ready by Week 1 of last season. Golden started 11 games last year, however.

“I’m basically a hundred percent; I feel good,” Golden said during the interview. “I’ve been working hard. I’ve been training and everything. And I’ve actually been able to actually get this offseason and been able to work this offseason.

“… Arizona gave me the opportunity to play, so we’ll see how it works out. No matter what happens, I’ll be ready and I’ll be prepared because I’m going to keep on working and I’m going to keep putting the work in.”

While Golden is entering free agency with little momentum, he probably stands to benefit from the slew of pass rushers likely set to be taken off the market via the franchise tag. DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford and Frank Clark are almost certainly not going to see free agency this year. This would stand to elevate the lower tiers of the UFA pass-rushing contingent, though Golden likely is not in line for a long-term deal given his recent history.

NFL Awards Compensatory Draft Picks

February 22nd, 2019 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks to several teams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The full rundown, which is below, includes two third-round picks for both the Rams and Patriots.

The NFL awards compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained. As the NFL explains:

“Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula. No club may receive more than four compensatory picks in any one year. If a club qualifies for more than four compensatory picks after offsetting each CFA lost by each CFA gained of an equal or higher value, the four highest remaining selections will be awarded to the club.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement limits the number of compensatory selections to the number of clubs then in the League (32). This year, six clubs: the Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Rams, Giants, and 49ers qualified for compensatory selections under the net loss formula but will not receive those picks because the final numerical values of the CFAs who were lost by those clubs ranked 33rd through 39thamong the final numerical values of all compensatory selections. Each of those six clubs will receive compensatory selections for other CFAs lost whose final numerical values ranked within the top 32. “

Third Round

  • (No. 33 in third round-No. 96 overall) Redskins
  • 34-97 Patriots
  • 35-98 Rams
  • 36-99 Rams
  • 37-100 Panthers
  • 38-101 Patriots
  • 39-102 Ravens

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Cardinals Sign TE Charles Clay

February 19th, 2019 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals signed former Bills tight end Charles Clay to a one-year deal worth up to $3.25MM, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. His deal includes a $350K signing bonus. 

Clay was heading into the final year of a five-year, $38MM deal with the Bills before his release earlier this month. The Cardinals did not want to wait around and risk other teams scooping up Clay, so they’ve signed him here in February. Recently, the Cards also signed cornerback Robert Alford and defensive end Brooks Reed after they were released by the Falcons, so a pattern is emerging.

Clay had just 21 catches for 184 yards last season, a massive drop-off from his 56/600 average over the previous five years. He’ll join youngster Ricky Seals-Jones and veteran Jermaine Gresham on the TE depth chart.

Kingsbury, Bidwill Dismiss Murray Speculation; Baker To Be Moved Back To Safety

February 12th, 2019 at 9:33pm CST by Rory Parks
  • Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury continues to dismiss the speculation connecting Kyler Murray to Arizona. Many pundits believe Murray would thrive in Kingsbury’s offense, but Kingsbury insists that the team is committed to last year’s first-round pick, Josh Rosen (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets that team president Michael Bidwill is also adamant that his club will not pursue Murray (at least not with the No. 1 overall pick).
  • Budda Baker has functioned as the Cardinals‘ slot corner, but new DC Vance Joseph said that Baker will be moved back to his natural safety position in 2019 (Twitter link via Mike Jurecki of AZCardinals.com).

Cardinals Hire Defensive Assistant

February 12th, 2019 at 2:12pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • More new Cardinals assistants are emerging. The team announced Rusty McKinney will join Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff as a defensive assistant. Like Charlie Bullen, McKinney spent the past three seasons on Adam Gase‘s Dolphins staffs. The former defensive quality control coach worked with new Cardinals DC Vance Joseph in 2016.

Cardinals Hire 4 New Assistants

February 11th, 2019 at 7:48pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Steve Wilks received interest from teams aside from the Browns but scheduled the Cleveland summit first because that was his top choice, according to McManaman. The one-and-done Cardinals coach is now the Browns‘ DC, coming to Cleveland after receiving a substantial buyout from his four-year Cards contract.
  • Elsewhere in the NFC West, the Cardinals continued to add new assistants. Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff will include Charlie Bullen as assistant linebackers coach and Peter Badovinac, Bob McManamon of the Arizona Republic notes. Bullen spent the past seven seasons with the Dolphins, serving as a defensive assistant throughout the Joe Philbin and Adam Gase tenures. Bullen and new Cardinals DC Vance Joseph worked together in 2016. Badnovinac will follow Kingsbury from the college ranks, moving to Arizona after stays at Missouri State and Ohio State. Badnovinac accepted a graduate assistant position at Oklahoma recently but will begin his first NFL job instead. The Cardinals also hired Spencer Whipple and Rob Grosso as quality control coaches.
  • Steve Wilks received interest from teams aside from the Browns but scheduled the Cleveland summit first because that was his top choice, according to McManaman. The one-and-done Cardinals coach is now the Browns‘ DC, coming to Cleveland after receiving a substantial buyout from his four-year Cards contract.

Cardinals Sign DE/OLB Brooks Reed

February 9th, 2019 at 11:09am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Robert Alford isn’t the only former Falcon the Cardinals are signing. Two days after signing Alford, the team has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Brooks Reed, the team announced on their official site.

Reed’s one-year deal is worth $1.625MM with $250K fully guaranteed, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. The team’s announcement stated that Reed, who played defensive end in Atlanta, will move to outside linebacker in the Cardinals’ 3-4 scheme. Reed had been with the Falcons for the past four seasons, and had one year left on his contract when the team cut him Wednesday.

Reed initially entered the league as a second round pick of the Texans back in 2011, and signed a five-year, $22MM deal with Atlanta in March of 2015. This past year he appeared in all 16 games for the Falcons with eight starts, but notched just one sack. For his career he has 21.5 sacks through eight seasons. He restructured his deal and agreed to take a pay cut last March to help him stick with the team, but it apparently wasn’t enough to keep him around this year.

Reed had his best years, including a six sack rookie season, while playing outside linebacker with the Texans, so perhaps he’ll return to form here. Since Reed was cut before his contract expired, he was eligible to sign right away and didn’t have to wait for free agency to open. The Cardinals have been aggressive in pursuing veteran players before the market opens, as they already claimed Tanner Vallejo off waivers earlier this week in addition to signing Alford to a three-year deal. They also claimed D.J. Swearinger off waivers from the Redskins late in the season.

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