Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Veteran defensive linemen Jordan Phillips is on the lookout for a new NFL home. The Cardinals have released the 29-year-old, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
Phillips signed a three-year deal with Arizona in 2020, but he was limited to only 18 games during his two years with the team. His 2020 campaign came to an early end thanks to a hamstring injury, and he also started the 2021 season on the injured reserve.
In total, Phillips finished his Cardinals career having compiled five sacks. That includes a 2021 campaign where he finished with 22 tackles, three sacks, and four QB hits.
The former second-round pick spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Dolphins, and he eventually caught on with Buffalo midway through the 2018 campaign. He had a breakout season during his lone full year in Buffalo, finishing with 9.5 sacks.
Jeff Gladney is landing in Arizona after all. After meeting with the Cardinals yesterday, the cornerback is signing with the team, reports Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Gladney is getting a two-year deal.
Glandey was recently acquitted by a jury on assault charges. The cornerback was released by the Vikings last August following an indictment for domestic violence. Gladney was accused of choking, punching, and shoving a woman during an incident in April, 2021.”
“This has been a challenging time for Jeff mentally, spiritually and athletically,” his agents, Brian E. Overstreet and Rodney Williams, said at the time. “So, we applaud Jeff for having the courage to stand and fight for his freedom versus these false allegations”
The TCU product was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Vikings. He got into 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie, finishing with 81 tackles and three passes defended
The Cardinals are in line to keep another member of their tight end room. The team is giving Maxx Williams a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Cardinals, Zach Ertz Closing In On Deal]
Williams, who will be 28 at the start of next season, has spent the past campaigns seasons in Arizona. That was preceded by four years in Baltimore, after the Ravens drafted him in the second round in 2015. He totalled 497 receiving yards in 42 games with the Ravens, which included 21 starts.
In Arizona, the Minnesota product has put up an identical number of yards, in this case needing 12 fewer games to do so. Not surprisingly, that production has come as a result of greater playing time. He snap percentage has increased in each of the last three years, reaching 66% in 2021. He was off to an impressive start this season, but suffered a torn ACL in Week 5.
Even with Ertz back, then, Williams has cared out a role for himself in the team’s offense. With receiver Christian Kirk having signed with the Jaguars, the veteran could also be in line for an increase in targets. In any event, Williams’ blocking ability should continue to earn him plenty of time on the field for what was one of the league’s top offenses in 2021.
After getting acquitted by a jury on assault charges, Jeff Gladney is starting to generate some interest around the NFL. According to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter), the former first-round pick will meet with the Cardinals tonight.
The cornerback was released by the Vikings last August following an indictment for domestic violence. Gladney was accused of choking, punching, and shoving a woman during an incident in April, 2021.
The TCU product was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Vikings. He got into 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie, finishing with 81 tackles and three passes defended.
The Cardinals are one of nine teams that have yet to agree to terms with an outside free agent. We’ll see if Gladney ends up being the first.
Here are the details from the latest agreed-upon contracts around the league:
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2022 draft. These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2021 offseason.
This year, the NFL awarded 39 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.
This year’s formula also includes the changes made last year, when teams began receiving third-round comp picks due to the hiring of minority head coaches and general managers. Seven such picks were awarded this year. The 49ers landed two additional third-rounders this year, obtaining the extra selections for the Jets’ 2021 Robert Saleh hire and the Dolphins hiring Mike McDaniel this year. Miami’s McDaniel hire will give San Francisco another third-rounder in 2023.
The Chiefs obtained a third-rounder for the Bears’ Ryan Poles GM hire, while the Browns landed a third because of the Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah GM hire. The Ravens collected their second third-round for the Texans’ 2021 David Culley hire; Culley has since been fired. The Saints and Rams obtained one apiece after seeing the Falcons and Lions hire minority execs Terry Fontenot and Brad Holmes as GMs in 2021. New Orleans and Detroit also landed thirds because of players given high-value contacts last year (Trey Hendrickson and Kenny Golladay, respectively).
Here is the full list of 2022 compensatory selections:
Round 3: Lions (No. 97 overall), Saints (98), Browns (99)*, Ravens (100)*, Saints (101)*, 49ers (102)*, Chiefs (103)*, Rams (104)*, 49ers (105)*
Round 4: Steelers (No. 138), Ravens (139), Packers (140), Ravens (141), Rams (142), Titans (143)
Round 5: Cowboys (No. 176), Lions (177), Cowboys (178), Colts (179)
Round 6: Rams (No. 211), Rams (212), Falcons (213), Chargers (214), Cardinals (215), Colts (216), Lions (217), Rams (218), Titans (219), 49ers (220), 49ers (221)
Round 7: Chargers (No. 254), Chargers (255), Cardinals (256), Cardinals (257), Packers (258), Chiefs (259), Chargers (260), Buccaneers (261), 49ers (262)
San Francisco 49ers (5)
Los Angeles Rams (5)
Los Angeles Chargers (4)
Arizona Cardinals (3)
Baltimore Ravens (3)
Detroit Lions (3)
Dallas Cowboys (2)
Green Bay Packers (2)
Indianapolis Colts (2)
Kansas City Chiefs (2)
New Orleans Saints (2)
Tennessee Titans (2)
Atlanta Falcons (1)
Cleveland Browns (1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
* = special compensatory selection
“The Barbarian” is heading back to Arizona. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Cardinals have re-signed linebacker and special teams ace Dennis Gardeck.
It’s a three-year deal worth $12MM for Gardeck.
An undrafted free agent in 2018, Gardeck has spent his entire four-year career with the Cardinals. He was a key member of Arizona’s special teams unit through his first three seasons in the NFL, collecting 34 tackles in 44 games.
Gardeck saw a larger role on defense in 2021, getting into a career-high 19 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. Coupled with his usual special teams duties, the 27-year-old managed to finish with a career-high 23 tackles.
The Cardinals have made another move on offense, retaining some veteran depth at the quarterback position. The team announced on Monday that they have re-signed Colt McCoy to a two-year deal.
[RELATED: Cardinals To Re-Sign James Conner]
The 35-year-old was set to be a free agent, but will now stay in the desert. He started three games in 2021, his first campaign with the Cardinals, while appearing in eight total. He won two of those, totalling a 74.7% completion percentage, throwing for 740 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Prior to his time in Arizona, the former third rounder had also found himself in Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington and New York. Since his short-lived time as a starter in his first two seasons, McCoy has established himself as a trusted backup capable of filling in when needed.
The Cards already made some cap room by re-working the contract of o-linemen Justin Pugh earlier today. This deal likely won’t eat into much of those savings, although they will need as much flexibility as possible to have a chance at retaining Chandler Jones.
Of course, the biggest question around the team pertains to their starting QB. Kyler Murray is eligible for an extension this offseason, so how the team handles that situation will be crucial to their plans for the spring, and to the wider QB landscape. In any event, they now know who their No. 2 signal caller will be.