Free Agent Signings: Levi Brown Back with Arizona Cardinals

Just two days after releasing him and making it look like they were moving on to another option at his position, the Arizona Cardinals agreed to a five-year contract with left tackle Levi Brown.

Though financial details have yet to be released, the new deal is apparently much more cap-friendly than his previous contract.

The Penn State product's old contract carried a ridiculous $17 million cap hit and while he enjoyed a much better season in 2011, he had long been considered one of the more underachieving tackles in the league. 

The Cardinals made Brown the fifth pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, and he never really blossomed into the kind of dominant blind side protector his size and talent level dictate he could be. If Arizona was able to land another tackle via free agency or the draft, Brown could be shifted to the right side where he might have more success. 

While he has never really developed, Brown could get a second wind of sorts with the long-term security of his new contract. In addition to that, he turned 28 on Friday (nice birthday present for him) and has a lot of years of football left. 

It is a risk for the Cardinals to re-sign Brown given that he hasn't turned into the player they expected him to become when they drafted him.

But when you consider that there are really no good tackles left on the open market it makes sense that Arizona went in this direction.

And who knows, maybe Brown will reward the team's faith in him by developing and improving.