- Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick is entering a pivotal year, as Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic writes. The versatile defender has been moved yet again, this time to inside linebacker. If he can thrive in his third new defensive system in three years, Reddick could have his fifth-year option exercised for the 2021 season. If not, the former No. 13 overall pick will be on course for free agency following the 2020 campaign. Last year, Reddick managed 80 tackles and four sacks in his first season as a starter.
While this offseason did not bring quite the same level of quarterback movement 2018’s did, a handful of teams will deploy new starters. Draft choices, trade acquisitions and free agent signings will be given the keys to offenses that struggled last season.
The Broncos, Cardinals, Dolphins, Jaguars and Redskins made moves to fortify their quarterback jobs. Which team’s investment will work out best?
Denver will use a different starting quarterback for the third straight year. Joe Flacco is set to be the Broncos’ fourth starter since Peyton Manning‘s retirement. While his QBR figure (58.7) was better than any the former Ravens starter had posted since a quality 2014 season, Flacco still ranked 20th in that metric last season. Having never made a Pro Bowl and fresh off back-to-back years featuring injury trouble, with a back problem limiting him during the 2017 offseason and a hip injury beginning the Lamar Jackson era, the 34-year-old starter will try to revive his career in Denver. Flacco, though, is the most accomplished quarterback the Broncos have employed since Manning.
The other surefire veteran starter acquired this year, Foles will have his first chance to be a team’s unquestioned first-stringer since 2015. The 30-year-old flourished in his second Philadelphia stint, submitting an all-time postseason run in 2017 and helping the Eagles back to the playoffs last season. A 2013 Pro Bowler, Foles will take over a Jaguars team that does not possess the kind of aerial weaponry recent Eagles rosters did. Jacksonville is in line to have Marqise Lee back from a torn ACL, but the team’s wideouts and tight ends will place additional emphasis on Foles living up to his contract. With the Rams in 2015, Foles threw seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions before being benched.
Kyler Murray represents the other locked-in starter added this offseason. The electric one-year Oklahoma starter accomplished about as much as a college passer can in a single season, turning in Division I-FBS’ second-ever 4,000-1,000 season en route to Heisman Trophy honors. Working with Kliff Kingsbury, Larry Fitzgerald and a host of young wide receivers, Murray is the centerpiece of one of the most daring experiments an NFL team has attempted.
The Cardinals turned the keys over to a sub-.500 college coach and a 5-foot-10 signal-caller — the first sub-6-foot passer to be chosen in Round 1. Arizona trotted out the league’s worst scoring and total offense last season, however, and sported a skeleton-crew offensive line by year’s end. The Cards added new starters Marcus Gilbert and J.R. Sweezy up front. Due to the lack of precedent behind this move, it is hard to tell how Murray will fare. But the unique talent has opened as Las Vegas’ offensive rookie of the year favorite.
Washington and Miami have not committed to a starting quarterback yet, but it is fairly safe to project Dwayne Haskins and Josh Rosen will see extensive time. While Case Keenum and Ryan Fitzpatrick could log starts, with the latter possibly even on track to do so, the Redskins have liked what their first-round pick has done so far and the Dolphins will need to see Rosen in games to help determine if they will consider a first-round QB in 2020. On the heels of a 50-touchdown pass season, the Ohio State product sits second in offensive rookie of the year odds. Although only eight passers have won this award since 1957, seven such instances have occurred since 2004.
Both Daniel Jones and Drew Lock could factor into their respective teams’ mixes later in the season. Of the 13 first-round QBs taken over the past four years, only Patrick Mahomes and Paxton Lynch were not promoted to the starting role as rookies. (Though, Eli Manning is not your typical stopgap.) Lock was projected by most as a first-rounder, and Flacco ceded his role to the No. 32 overall pick last year. So the 12th-year veteran’s grip on Denver’s job should be considered tenuous.
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
New Poll
Nick Foles
28.48%
(407 votes)
Joe Flacco
24.35%
(348 votes)
Kyler Murray
13.72%
(196 votes)
Dwayne Haskins
13.58%
(194 votes)
Josh Rosen
10.57%
(151 votes)
Ryan Fitzpatrick
3.08%
(44 votes)
Daniel Jones
2.24%
(32 votes)
Drew Lock
2.17%
(31 votes)
Case Keenum
1.82%
(26 votes)
Total Votes: 1,429
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB James Folston Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T Dieugot Joseph, DE Austin Larkin
- Waived: T Devon Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: RB A.J. Ouellette, DB Jordan Wyatt
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB D.J. Killings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Xavier Ubosi
Washington Redskins
- Waived: T Jylan Ware
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers: DL Pita Taumoepenu (from 49ers)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: G Kofi Amichia
- Waived: OL Landon Turner
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Chidi Okeke
Oakland Raiders
- Waived/Injured: FB Ryan Yurachek
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Marcelias Sutton
- Waived/Injured: RB Adam Choice
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DT Stevie Tu’ikolovatu
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Frank Herron
While D.J. Humphries‘ recovery from a knee injury could linger into the preseason, the rest of the Cardinals offensive line is looking healthy this spring. As Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic writes, many of the team’s projected starters are feeling good, including Justin Pugh (hand/knee), A.Q. Shipley (knee), and Marcus Gilbert (quad).
Six Cardinals linemen finished last season on the injured reserve, so the team is looking forward to meshing prior to the regular season.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: WR Malachi Dupre
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers: T De’Ondre Wesley
- Signed: TE Mik’Quan Deane
- Waived: T Blake Hance, S Abraham Wallace
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: T Justin Evans
- Waived: TE Andrew Vollert
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: DB Dakari Monroe
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: T Justice Powers
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: LB Darrell Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: T Casey Tucker
Defensive tackle Terrell McClain will sign a one-year deal with the Cardinals, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). McClain played in 13 games for the Falcons last season and started five. 
McClain stabilized his career with the Cowboys, playing three seasons and being a full-time starter in 2016. He used that season as a springboard to a semi-lucrative deal with the Redskins, but they released him just after the 2018 draft, leading him to Atlanta.
The former third-round draft pick, started his career with Panthers and also played for the Patriots and Texans. He has history with new Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, so he won’t have much of a learning curve in Arizona.
The Cardinals invested two draft picks in the defensive line while balancing things out this offseason with veteran additions like Darius Philon and McClain.
It wasn’t the best week for Patrick Peterson. After being slapped with a six-game ban from the NFL, reports emerged that the cornerback wanted to restructure his contract in an attempt the lessen the financial blow from the suspension (the Cardinals ultimately said no). Predictably, the veteran came out and apologized for his actions.
“Definitely, definitely sorry for what happened today,” Peterson told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Thursday (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “For the most part, I think you guys understand my character and also understand my commitment on and off the field and also to my teammates and also the Arizona Cardinals organization. That’s why this is obviously very, very hard for me, because I’ve never been in this situation before and never wanted to have my name attached to anything like this. But I’m looking to move forward, put this behind me.
“I want to thank my family, my teammates, the coaching staff, the Arizona Cardinals’ community and also the organization. I’m looking forward to getting back Week Seven. I’m going to try to keep the smile on my face and getting back to being the best DB in the league.”
The suspension, a result of a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, will ultimately cost $3.88MM and impact Peterson’s remaining guarantees. The cornerback believed he could save at least $2MM by adjusting his deal, but the Cardinals had no real incentive to oblige. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the front office will save that $3.88MM in both cap space and cap. Furthermore, his 2019 salary is no longer guaranteed; if the organization wants to move on from the cornerback following his suspension, they can easily do so.
It’s been a tumultuous year for Peterson. The 28-year-old requested a trade back in October, but he proceeded to start all 16 games for the league-worst Cardinals. After recommitting himself to the organization, reports emerged last month that the player was not pleased with his team.
Despite all the turmoil, Peterson continued to perform. He finished last season with 54 tackles, five passes defended and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus ranked Peterson fifth among 112 eligible cornerback candidates. Peterson is signed through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he inked with the club back in 2014.
When Marcus Gilbert signed a five-year extension back in 2014, he thought he’d be spending the rest of his career with the Steelers. However, the organization surprised the veteran when they traded him to the Cardinals for a sixth-rounder back in March.
“I felt like I disappointed a lot of people in Steeler Nation,” Gilbert told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “(The last year) hasn’t been easy.”
Following a 2017 season that saw Gilbert miss time due to injury and suspension, the veteran offensive lineman was ready to contribute in 2018. The 31-year-old started five of the Steelers’ first six games before suffering a partially torn quad. Instead of undergoing surgery, Gilbert opted for a stem cell shot with the hope that he’d be able to return later in the season. Despite feeling like he was ready to play, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve in mid-December, with the team deciding to roll with Matt Feiler at right tackle.
Unfortunately for Gilbert, that injury ultimately ended his tenure in Pittsburgh. As Fowler writes, there was once hope that the Steelers would be able to retain their offensive line for the foreseeable future. After all, Maurkice Pouncey and Ramon Foster had recently inked new contracts, and Alejandro Villanueva and David DeCastro are signed long=term. Of course, things rarely work out as anticipated in the NFL.
“You can never be surprised with NFL business,” he said. “They respect me, but you have to understand it’s a business. I didn’t take it personally.”
Gilbert will go from protecting future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger to protecting first-overall pick Kyler Murray. Gilbert is one of three veteran additions to the Cardinals offensive line, as the team also signed J.R. Sweezy and Max Garcia.
On Thursday, the NFL handed Patrick Peterson a six-game ban for PEDs. Before that, the Cardinals cornerback had yet another flareup with team brass. The latest issue arose when Peterson asked GM Steve Keim about restructuring his contract to make more cash available immediately and Keim said no, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. 
Peterson, it seems, wanted to lessen his financial losses in advance of his suspension. The cornerback believed that he would have saved at least $2MM by adjusting his deal, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM writes.
The cornerback knew the six-game ban was coming before it was announced on Thursday, but it’s not clear whether the Cardinals had advanced knowledge of the suspension. Either way, it’s not likely that the league office would have approved Peterson’s suggested workaround.
Peterson’s suspension will cost him $3.88MM in wages.