Pre-Free Agency Cardinals Mailbag
ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are set to embark on another wild roller coaster ride that is free agency.
The team - with plenty of cap space at their disposal - will look to plug a few holes and answer some questions that come with constructing a roster as we officially welcome the 2024 league year.
We've got some questions to answer ourselves.
Thanks to everybody who chipped in for the mailbag on Twitter (X? Whatever the cool kids call it) before things get rolling.
Q: Do you think Christian Wilkins is the Cardinals’ top target in Free Agency? - KHicks_21
A: In terms of prized possessions, yes.
Wilkins can bring so much to Arizona's defense. He's below 30 and would - and I cannot emphasize this enough - immediately upgrade a Cardinals defensive line that truly needs it. Wilkins fits every bit of the "game-wrecker" term displayed on him.
The only hesitation is the price tag. Arizona will now have to likely pay more for Wilkins after the massive paydays guys such as Justin Madubuike and Chris Jones received.
But, the Cardinals do have the financial capabilities and the salary cap only seems to grow. Wilkins makes sense for a lot of reasons, the only question is how much is too much for a team that's still not quite ready to make a playoff push.
Wilkins is a top target for many teams - Arizona included.
Q: Prior to free agency, what positions (not prospects) do you see Arizona targeting with their first three picks? -AZSportsFan20
A: It's really tough to tell exactly what teams will do in the draft, especially prior to free agency. You'll see mock drafts look differently before and after the open market is gouged of players.
The way I see it, the Cardinals will look to spend a chunk of their money on two positions coming in free agency: defensive line and cornerback.
With that in mind, here's how the first three picks play out in my head:
First pick: Most likely wide receiver. Would not be surprised if it's a premier tackle.
Second pick: There's still some really solid tackle talent available. Same can be said for other defensive talent.
Third pick: This is most likely where the Cardinals will find some talent that fell out of the first. I'd say maybe an edge rusher or corner here depending on who is available.
Arizona has a lot of holes, but some mix of WR/OT/Defense is how I see the opening part of their draft unfolding.
Q: In your opinion do the Cardinals spend real money this offseason or 1 more offseason with minimal spending? -AustinFerzoco
A: I think they'll target a player or two with serious money, though I spoke with somebody within Arizona's front office at the Combine and they're well aware the team isn't exactly gearing up for a Lombardi run in 2024.
That being said, I don't think they'll spend minimally either. I think they're targeting impactful players that perhaps aren't quite elite but will play some damn good football for them. Think Kyzir White - not flashy, but... sheesh.
For what it's worth, Arizona only has 18 players under contract for the 2025 league year, so some focus may be on getting bodies for now and the future as well.
Final answer for you - they'll spend money, but like Costco money. They'll get bulk for their price but perhaps a nice thing or two will slip in the cart.
Q: What free agent players do you think the Cardinals will try to get? -CoolPaul753
A: I think Wilkins is a top target for Arizona and that's something ESPN's Josh Weinfuss is reporting as well. We'll see if they can swing it.
Last offseason showed the coaching staff really valued players who knew their system/identity. Will that still be a priority heading into year No. 2 under Jonathan Gannon?
I would search for any impact guys that aren't quite elite household names (like mentioned above) while others with ties to the staff should be worth monitoring too.
Players such as:
DE Jonathan Greenard, CB Steven Nelson, LG Iosua Opeta, LB Nicholas Morrow, EDGE Mike Danna are just a few of the hundreds of possible guys. Don't take those names to the bank, those are just dart throws.
It doesn't help that a lot of premier players Arizona could have targeted got tagged last week, too.
Q: In your opinion, which free agents or positions should be high priorities for the Cardinals in free agency? -MrEd315
A: I've already kind of touched on this previously so I don't want to regurgitating the same stuff, but:
When it comes to free agency, positions such as cornerback and interior defensive line have a strong pool of talent that Arizona can afford with help really needed at both areas. On the open market, those would be my two biggest priorities.
When it comes to the draft, I'm targeting positions such as wide receiver, offensive tackle and edge/OLB moving forward. Arizona clearly needs legitimate names at all three positions, and though surely you could find those in free agency, the Cardinals want to build through the draft and will have a prime opportunity to address those specific positions early.
Other positions such as left guard and inside linebacker are worth monitoring for either free agency or the draft, too.
Q: Considering the Cardinals are speculated to take three players at No. 4 and trade back, can you talk about the worst case scenario on draft day (Which is still likely a good route no matter what) -CDreos
A: I really think the Cardinals are in a win-win.
If they stick and take a player at No. 4, the Cardinals end up with an instant impact player that can make a difference for today and tomorrow.
Regardless, it really sounds like guys such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers, Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu could end up in a Cardinals jersey depending on how things shake up, and looking at it only in a vacuum, that should excite any fan.
If they move back, that's purely because they feel comfortable enough with players being graded so closely to each other they don't mind accepting extra draft capital, or a trade offer just blew them out of the water.
We're not talking enough about the realistic opportunity Arizona will have to trade back - that's all I will say.
As far as what a worst-case scenario is, there's not one realistic scene that just makes me absolutely shake my head. There's some discourse on Dallas Turner possibly being the guy at pick No. 4 and that would certainly stir the pot given the Cardinals could likely trade down a handful of spots and still take him.
That's about it - unless they draft Levi Brown again.
