Offseason Analysis: Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have a lot of question marks entering the offseason.  Namely, what is going to happen with Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin. Warner could jump ship or even retire.

Matt Leinart hasn’t proven he is an NFL-caliber quarterback. So Cardinal fans are crossing their fingers. Boldin is unhappy with his contract situation and his relationship with the team has gone sour. Despite his unhappiness, I don’t see Boldin playing anywhere else in 2009. I wouldn’t put a holdout past him though.

That’s what we don’t know.  Let’s take a look at what we do know.  Larry Fitzgerald will be one of the top wide receivers taken in fantasy drafts next year, and rightfully so. 

He’s always shown great hands and leaping ability, but in the Super Bowl he showed a new gear on his second touchdown.  That play will give defensive coordinators nightmares this offseason.

Another thing we know is that Edge is gone. I’m not sure where he’ll turn up, but the Cards will be in the market for a running back to compliment Tim Hightower. Darren Sproles would look great in that role, but I don’t see Arizona being a player in that sweepstakes. My guess is they address that need in the draft. 

Their offensive coordinator Todd Haley moved on to Kansas City. Without knowing who their offensive coordinator or quarterback is next year makes it difficult to forecast what kind of changes to expect. 

On defense, Cardinals' key free agents are Karlos Dansby, Bertrand Berry, Antonio Smith, and Clark Haggans. Dansby is the top priority.

KFFL Free Agent Tracker:

Pos	Player Name	FA Status	Previous Team	Current Team
QB	Brian St. Pierre	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
QB	Kurt Warner	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
RB	J.J. Arrington	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
FB	Tim Castille	ERFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
FB	Terrelle Smith	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
WR	Onrea Jones	Re-signed	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona Cardinals
WR	Lance Long	Re-signed	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona Cardinals
TE	Ben Patrick	ERFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
TE	Leonard Pope	RFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
TE	Stephen Spach	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
C	Lyle Sendlein	ERFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
DL	Bertrand Berry	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
DL	Ray Blagman	ERFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
DL	Keilen Dykes	Re-signed	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona Cardinals
DL	Gabe Watson	RFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
LB	Monty Beisel	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	Free Agent
CB	Wilrey Fontenot	Re-signed	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona Cardinals
SS	Dennis Keyes	Re-signed	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona Cardinals