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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Jaguars To Interview Harold Goodwin

January 1st, 2017 at 7:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As they continue their search for to replace fired head coach Gus Bradley, the Jaguars will interview Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin during the upcoming week, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Sunday that Jacksonville would likely interview Goodwin, though he didn’t offer a timeline.

Harold Goodwin

The 43-year-old Goodwin has been the Cardinals’ O-coordinator since 2013, but head coach Bruce Arians has called the plays during that four-season span. Arizona’s offense ranked just 22nd in the NFL in DVOA entering Sunday, but Goodwin is nonetheless drawing interest from multiple head coach-needy teams. Along with the Jaguars, he’s likely to interview with the Bills and Rams.

Before the Cardinals hired Goodwin, he worked as the Bears’ assistant offensive line coach from 2004-06 and then oversaw the O-lines of the Steelers and Colts. He’s now one of several known candidates for the Jaguars’ vacancy, joining interim head coach Doug Marrone, Tom Coughlin and Mike Smith, among others.

David Johnson Has Meniscus Damage

January 1st, 2017 at 5:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Early tests show that Cardinals running back David Johnson suffered meniscus damage during today’s game against the Rams, but did not tear his ACL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson will undergo an MRI on Monday in order to further ascertain the exact nature of the injury.David Johnson (Vertical)

[RELATED: Chandler Jones Hopes To Stay With Cardinals]

Clearly, without more specific information about Johnson’s injury, it’s difficult to predict how the ailment might affect his offseason. Avoiding an ACL tear is extremely positive news, but meniscus damage can also limit a player for years. Johnson, 25, has been a revelation during his second season in the NFL, managing more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage while posting 20 total touchdowns. On an Arizona offense that ranks only 22nd in DVOA, Johnson was the weekly focal point as quarterback Carson Palmer and the rest of the passing game struggled.

Johnson is signed through the 2018 campaign, but fellow running backs Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington, and Stepfan Taylor are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at season’s end. If Johnson is expected to be sidelined for a good portion of the summer, Arizona could be forced to add bodies to its backfield.

Coaching/GM Notes, Pt. 2: Arians, Gase, Wolf

January 1st, 2017 at 11:48am CST by Rory Parks

Here is Part 2 of our coaching/GM rumors post. Part 1 can be found here.

  • Despite his health concerns, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians expects to return in 2017, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Schefter tweets that one of Arians’ top assistants, offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, is expected to interview for a head coaching job with the Rams, Jaguars, and Bills.
  • As the 49ers get prepared to search for a new head coach and GM, a ghost from the past has reared its ugly head. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter), San Francisco was prepared to hire current Dolphins head coach Adam Gase two years ago. The team informed Gase that he was the choice, but GM Trent Baalke intervened at the last moment and convinced ownership not to hire Gase. The 49ers chose Jim Tomsula instead, and it has been all downhill from there.
  • The Packers are not expected to make major coaching changes–although offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett could get head coaching interviews–but GM Ted Thompson could step aside and become a senior scouting adviser, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. One reason, according to Rapoport, is that Director of Football Operations Eliot Wolf is a highly-coveted football mind, and if he’s not promoted soon, Green Bay could lose him.
  • The Bengals are not expected to fire Marvin Lewis, who is signed through 2017, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. However, Lewis is not expected to get another one-year extension this offseason, which means that another disappointing campaign in 2017 could spell the end of his tenure as Cincinnati’s head coach.
  • Jets head coach Todd Bowles will likely be back for a third season, but offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is expected to be fired, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
  • The Ravens are expected to part ways with OC Marty Mornhinweg, and assuming they do, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Greg Roman is someone to “keep an eye on.”
  • Browns coaches have “deep concerns” with the direction of the team’s personnel department and are expected to push owner Jimmy Haslam for changes in that regard, according to La Canfora. While head coach Hue Jackson is not planning to request the removal of top football man Sashi Brown, the coaching staff would like a proven, old-school talent evaluator involved in player selection to provide something of a checks-and-balance system to Brown’s analytics-based approach.
  • La Canfora suggests that, if the Lions miss the playoffs this season, GM Bob Quinn could at least think about a coaching change, and his Patriots ties could lead him to consider Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia, with whom he established strong relationships during his time in New England. While I personally could imagine Quinn’s being interested in McDaniels, I cannot see Patricia as a legitimate head coaching candidate at this point.

Palmer Trying To Convince Fitzgerald To Keep Playing

December 31st, 2016 at 9:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Carson Palmer has attempted to convince Larry Fitzgerald to play for at least one more year, Dan Bickley of the Arizona Daily Republic reports. The 37-year-old quarterback’s having “frequent” conversations with the 33-year-old Cardinals wide receiver regarding his future in the NFL.

Fitzgerald is under contract through 2017 after signing a preseason extension, one that secured him an $11MM salary for next season. The Cardinals have needed Fitzgerald’s best this season after the other two members in a once-formidable receiving top trio have largely disappointed. Michael Floyd is no longer with the team, and John Brown has often been unavailable due to injuries related to a sickle-cell condition.

  • A potential Arians retirement has become part of the Cardinals’ news cycle as the team drifted out of contention. But the 64-year-old coach who suffered a health scare earlier this season is not operating like he’s retiring. The fourth-year Arizona leader has begun making offseason plans for the franchise, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reporting Arians is preparing for free agency meetings, the draft and OTAs. A source close to this situation told Florio that everything Arians is saying publicly and privately go against a notion he’s going to step down. Arians himself said last week he’ll be back, and the coach has not been known for mind games since taking the reins in the desert.

Cardinals’ Chandler Jones: “I Love It Here”

December 30th, 2016 at 6:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cardinals entered the 2016 season as Super Bowl contenders and will end it as massive disappointments, having stumbled to a 6-8-1 mark with one game remaining. But Arizona’s struggles haven’t been the fault of pass rusher Chandler Jones, whom the team acquired from the Patriots last March in exchange for a second-round pick and now-unemployed guard Jonathan Cooper.

Chandler Jones

Jones has started in each of his 15 appearances this season and piled up 47 tackles, 21 quarterback hurries, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. As a result, he ranks 10th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualifying edge defenders. Now Jones, who has amassed 45.5 sacks in his five-year career, could be on the cusp of playing his final game with the Cardinals. Although the soon-to-be 27-year-old is an impending free agent, he’d like to stay in Arizona.

“I love it here in Arizona – the coaches, the people, the whole atmosphere,” Jones told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “I love the vibe that people give off and I can see myself being here for a long time.”

The admiration is seemingly mutual, as general manager Steve Keim referred to Jones as “something we have not had here in years” in October. Back then, the Cardinals and Jones had reportedly been discussing a contract extension since training camp, though it’s unclear if those negotiations have continued.

It’s fair to suggest that retaining Jones over the long haul could cost Arizona similar money to what the Giants gave fellow pass rusher Olivier Vernon in free agency last winter. Vernon parlayed 29 sacks in four seasons with the Dolphins into a five-year, $85MM pact with $52MM in guarantees. Jones is aware of that deal, he told Weinfuss, but the Cardinals could place the franchise tag on him before the March deadline if they’re uncomfortable handing out a Vernon-esque contract. Jones is listed as a linebacker, a position that will carry a projected salary of $14.754MM via the tag in 2017, but the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder could argue that he’s a defensive end in order to secure a richer payday ($16.955MM).

Cardinals Add Dixon From Saints' Taxi Squad

December 28th, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The Cardinals signed cornerback Brian Dixon off the Saints’ practice squad, NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope reports. Dixon has spent most of this season on the Saints’ practice squad after the 2014 UDFA during the first two seasons of his career resided on New Orleans’ active roster. The 26-year-old Division II product played in five games for the Saints this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/16

December 27th, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A rundown of Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Jake Kumerow, LB Trevor Roach

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

San Diego Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Two LBs Work Out For Cardinals

December 27th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • Cornerbacks Tharold Simon and Steve Williams tried out for the Ravens, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Simon made nine appearances earlier this season with the Cardinals, who cut him last week. He’s better known for his 11-appearance, five-start tenure with Seattle from 2014-15. Williams, meanwhile, moved on and off the Rams’ roster multiple times this year. He has totaled six appearances this season (five with San Diego) after playing in 14 games with the Chargers and intercepting two passes last year.
  • Linebackers Deon Lacey and Glenn Love tried out for the Cardinals, per Balzer (Twitter link).

2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 16

December 26th, 2016 at 10:53am CST by Zachary Links

This weekend, the Browns got the best of both worlds when they won their first game of the 2016 season while the 49ers also found their way to victory. Now, the 1-14 Browns remain in the top spot as we head into the final week of the NFL season.

Here’s where we stand through Week 16. (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):

  1. Browns 1-14
  2. 49ers 2-13
  3. Bears 3-12
  4. Jaguars 3-12
  5. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-11
  6. Jets 4-11
  7. Chargers 5-10
  8. Bengals 5-9-1
  9. Panthers 6-9
  10. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 6-9
  11. Cardinals 6-8-1
  12. Bills 7-8
  13. Colts 7-8
  14. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-8
  15. Saints 7-8
  16. Titans 8-7
  17. Ravens 8-7
  18. Buccaneers 8-7
  19. Broncos 8-7
  20. Redskins 8-6-1

Cardinals Place Tyrann Mathieu On IR

December 23rd, 2016 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

With two games to go, the Cardinals are shutting down their star safety. Tyrann Mathieu is being placed on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. In a related move, safety Trevon Hartfield has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. Tyrann Mathieu

Mathieu has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury and he has been trying to avoid surgery. He also hasn’t completely recovered from the torn ACL that hampered him in 2015.

This hasn’t been a banner year for the player formerly known as the Honey Badger. Mathieu has appeared in only ten games this season thanks to injuries. In those games, he has 35 total tackles, one sack, and four passes defensed. The advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus have him ranked as just the No. 59 safety in the NFL with a 74.3 overall score, his worst-ever showing.

Mathieu is in the midst of a five-year, $62.5MM extension that he signed in August 2016. He’s under contract through 2021 and is currently the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

The 5-8-1 Cardinals are mathematically out of playoff contention. They wrap up the season with games against the Seahawks and Rams.

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