Cardinals' Release of Darnell Dockett a Necessary Evil for 2015

Darnell Dockett is now a former employee of the Arizona Cardinals. His absence might be brief, but it will also be necessary.

A long-expected move that felt inevitable is now official, though it came with a semi-unspoken caveat. If Dockett can accept a lower fee for his services, he’ll be welcomed back with a warm embrace.

That’s some loosely translated between-the-lines reading from what general manager Steve Keim told NFL Network’s Albert Breer:

Like Reggie Bush earlier this week, Dockett's fate was determined by three familiar factors: age, money and other roster priorities.

And also like Bush, there’s reason to believe a healthy Dockett can still be a productive Dockett.

Dockett will be 34 years old when the 2015 season begins, and he’s still recovering from a torn ACL. He can be effective when fully mended, even with the collecting candles on his annual birthday cake. He’s especially efficient against the run and is only a season removed from recording 30 defensive stops, according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2013, Dockett also logged 13 quarterback hits, which ranked fourth among his 3-4 defensive end peers.

Defensive end	QB hits
J.J. Watt	36
Calais Campbell	17
Kyle Williams	17
Darnell Dockett	13
Cameron Jordan	12

As always, J.J. Watt is in his own stratosphere. But Dockett showed that when healthy he can still be a valuable piece of a defensive front, though maybe not the nine-sack pass-rusher he was earlier in his career (2007, his highest single-season sack total).

Talent and the ability to make that contribution wasn’t in question here for the Cardinals. No, instead the wise allocation of resources was at issue, and little about Dockett’s contract reflected smart cap management.

Investing a 2015 base salary of $6.5 million along with a whopping cap hit of $9.8 million in a defensive end who ripped apart his knee six months ago is the sort of decision that leads to a sweet beer vendor gig for a general manager. That was especially true for Keim, who’s dealing with only $5.4 million in salary-cap room, according to Spotrac.

Recently discussion had increased between Keim and Dockett’s camp. That’s what the Cardinals’ front office boss told Darren Urban of Cardinals.com earlier this week:

The insurmountable hurdle was surely a straight pay cut that Keim was seeking. Dockett has evidently decided to let the open market determine exactly what he’s worth, instead of taking too much money out of his pocket during the final years of his career.

That could eventually lead us back to where this all started. The Cardinals still have the far more affordable Frostee Rucker to slide in again and provide veteran stability, just as he did in 2014 when Dockett went down. Beyond him there’s also promising young defensive end Kareem Martin, and there's Alex Okafor to bring pressure from the outside.

There was depth to compensate for Dockett’s loss in 2014, and there will be again in 2015 if needed, though decisions along the defensive line also need to be made regarding scheduled free agents Dan Williams and Tommy Kelly.

Right now the $6.8 million of cap space freed by cutting Dockett gives Keim maneuverability in free agency and a chance to retain other assets worthy of a heavier investment, namely cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

It may not be a wave goodbye to Dockett, and instead Keim could only be saying so long for now if the open market keeps his price within reasonable reach. That market will likely agree with the Cardinals.

A healthy Dockett has Comeback Player of the Year potential. Just ask him…

But the risk associated with an aging and injured free-agency purchase won’t lead to significant money being thrown at Dockett just for the chance to own that reward.

In the off chance he does get paid (or rather, overpaid) and Dockett has played his final snap for the only team he’s ever known, this is another smart move by Keim. And if he comes crawling back? Well, this is still another smart move by Keim.