Three Free Agent WR Cardinals Should Target

The Arizona Cardinals need help at the WR position, and the market is getting quite thin.

As I've written several times before, while it's fine to rely on the services of star TE Trey McBride, and hope for a year-two leap from Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals could use some more talent, particularly in the slot, and adding a bit of speed and agility to a WR room that is generally centered around contested catch ability is necessary to take this offense to the next level.

Since this Draft class is very top-heavy at WR, and unless Tetairoa McMillan manages to fall all the way to 16 (where the Cardinals would be unlikely to draft him anyway), there won't be many options available to GM Monti Ossenfort in later rounds - at least, not ones that will be instant impact players.

The free agent market has thinned quite a bit, but these three veteran WRs could be under-the-radar signings to raise the floor of a young WR group, with both their play and experience.

1: Amari Cooper

Cooper might not be the same playmaker he was in Dallas, but he's still a good player. In fact, his 2024 season might be in the underrated category.

He wasn't Josh Allen's primary target by any means, but he did put up nearly 300 yards and a pair of TDs in just six starts with the Bills, after he was freed from an exceptionally poor Cleveland offense mid-season.

After joining Buffalo, his yards per reception climbed nearly five yards to 14.9. He's still got speed, separation ability, and good hands, though he dropped more passes in 2024 than is normal for him.

With the understanding that he wouldn't serve as an X receiver, he'd be a great complementary piece to Harrison, Wilson and McBride, and can be versatile in his positioning. The Cardinals need someone to help take the top off the defense, and Cooper can certainly still do that.

2: Elijah Moore

I've already taken a more in-depth look at Moore, but the truth is, he'd be a solid slot option, despite grading out poorly in his past few seasons.

Moore has always seemed to be serving a role that is just slightly too much for him to handle, not because he's a poor player, but because he excels as more of a secondary/tertiary option out of the slot. Blame the New York Jets for the poor perception of Moore's ability.

He's got plenty of speed and agility, and while he's not exactly a deep threat, he's sure-handed, and put up 538 yards as an afterthought target in a downright unwatchable Browns offense in 2024, making him familiar with Cardinals' newest backup QB in Jacoby Brissett.

The catch would be his size, likely. Though 5-foot-10 isn't an issue for a slot receiver, the Cardinals already have a more diminutive slot man, and the philosophy in building this roster has been more size-focused at the WR position.

3: Tyler Boyd

Don't let the numbers fool you, Boyd is a very good receiver, and does some of his best work out of the slot. He's speedy and agile, with good hands, but still measures around 6-foot-2, 200 pounds.

In 2024, he played with the Tennessee Titans. That should be the only justification needed to explain why he only recorded 390 yards - he also did so on just 39 receptions.

Boyd has been underrated his whole career. Prior to his stint with the Titans, he played alongside Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati. With that in mind, it's a miracle he was able to average 750 yards per season over eight years with the Bengals.

Again, he wouldn't be a devastatingly high-impact player, but would be an upgrade at the slot position, and is a much better player than he's given credit for. With PFF estimating a contract of less than $2 million for a one-year deal, Boyd might actually be a legitimate steal for a team looking for a productive third option.