2014 NFL Free Agency: Arizona Cardinals- Potential Cuts and Free Agents
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

Photo By Alex Dunlap, RosterWatch

Cardinals first-year General Manager, Steve Keim, got our PFWA vote for 2013 executive of the year and here’s why:

Not only did he bring in Head Coach Bruce Arians to change the franchise, but he also drafted the Honey Badger, Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor and recruited Carson Palmer to lead a very good team on the field. Oh, and don’t forget, Keim gets first-round pick- OG Jonathan Cooper – off the shelf as basically a huge bonus this offseason. Cooper, the first overall pick of the Keim era in 2013, looked like one of the best offensive guards anyone had ever seen in the 2013 NFL preseason before losing his rookie season to injury.

A pretty impressive resume for a guy with one year on the job. Although he can’t get all the credit for the Cardinals cap situation, he deserves some. According to Spotrac.com, the Cardinals were set to go into NFL offseason with a projected $2M-$5M in cap space for 2014. Now that Larry Fitzgerald has re-worked his deal, that figure is $10M+. Free agency isn’t a threat to many of Arizona’s core players, either. Of course, they will need money to sign rookie draft picks, and possibly maneuver to resign impact players like LB Karlos Dansby, or bring in other free agents.

To do so, Arizona will likely have to consider losing, cutting, or restructuring the following fantasy players this offseason:

Free Agents

Rashard Mendenhall (RB)– UFA
Andre Roberts (WR)– UFA
Jeff King (TE)– UFA
Alfonso Smith (RB)– RFA
Jake Ballard (TE)– RFA

Candidates to be Cut or Restructured

Carson Palmer (QB)– If Bruce Arians loves backup QB Drew Stanton and his $2.6M as much as he says he does, cutting Palmer and saving $4M against the cap would be the way to prove it. It’s about time Arizona begins thinking about drafting a developmental QB, anyways. It’s an unlikely scenario, though. The Cardinals were (unbelievably) on the cusp of the playoffs in 2013, and Palmer carries a fairly palatable cap number (for a starting veteran QB) of $11M into the 2014 season. We see the more likely scenario being a restructure if Cardinals brass see Palmer as a solution for the next few years. If not, there is a good chance they play the season out and look at cutting him next offseason when they can save $10M against the 2015 cap.

Ryan Williams (RB)– The Cardinals project to save $1M against the 2014 salary cup by cutting the oft-injured, unspectacular, and disappointing Ryan Williams – who goes down on first contact at will. This is Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor’s backfield moving forward. Arizona can draft another late-round running back this year.

Rob Housler (TE)– Being the only legitimate tight end on the roster, it’s unlikely Housler and his very reasonable $1.6M salary are cut in the offseason. That said, he was a disappointment in 2014 – and many are quick to point out Bruce Arians does not typically emphasize the TE in his offense. Plus, Housler leaves a lot to be desired in the blocking department- which could be a problem as Arizona continues to try and establish the run. The Cards could save almost $1.5M against the 2014 cap by cutting Housler. Again, let us remind you how deep the tight end position is in the 2014 NFL Draft. There are guys with 6th round grades whom we really like.