No Undrafted Rookies Make Arizona Cardinals 53-Man Roster; It Isn't Necesarily Bad

by Jess Root on Sep 4, 2011 12:00 PM MDT in NFL Preseason/Training Camp

With final cuts for the Arizona Cardinals announced on Friday, getting the team down to the required 53-man roster, there was one notable development. There was not a single undrafted rookie free agent that made the team. Just one season ago, Max Hall, Max Komar and Stephen Williams made the final squad.

Many point to the NFL lockout and the fact that with the loss of OTAs and minicamps as the reason why this happened here and in many other places. This surely is a factor. There definitely was less time for these players to learn the team's schemes. However, there is another reason that no UDFAs made the Cardinals this year, and it is a positive thing,

The reason is the level of talent. Sure, the undrafted rookies have not had as much time to make an impression, but the Cardinals improved the talent level.

Max Hall had a great camp a year ago, but he made the roster only because Derek Anderson and John Skelton were the other quarterbacks. He isn't on the team if Matt Leinart is not released. This year Kevin Kolb is here, John Skelton is a season better and Rich Bartel just was better. But last season only Anderson had starting experience.

The talent at receiver is better this season as well. Chansi Stuckey was signed. Andre Roberts was drafted a year ago and DeMarco Sampson was drafted this year. With Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet already in the fold, there was no room for an undrafted rookie. As it is, Komar was not going to make the team.

Yes, Williams made the squad this this year, but had he come in this year as the undrafted rookie, he would have been left off the squad.

This year's candidates included guys like Stephen Skelton at tight end. He never had a shot once the team signed Todd Heap. Again...talent.

So while there was certainly the time factor, the Cardinals did not simply overlook players because they had not seen enough of them. This year the players in camp are just better. And that is something to be happy about.

Tweet Comment 6 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

About Bartel

Does his story remind anyone else of Kurt Warner? Wasn’t Trent Green’s career rather similar to Kevin Kolb as well, with his time in St. Louis?

by Cardsfan928 on Sep 4, 2011 12:19 PM MDT reply actions

I never looked at it like that but I could see that. But lets hope Kolb works out and we don’t have to count on that kind of magic to happen.

by Txcardsfan on Sep 4, 2011 12:56 PM MDT up reply actions

UDRFA

At some point you would like to get to a point that the team is so deep a UDRFA can’t make the team the first year and is brought in for camp and then cut and add to the PS for one or two years until they can play their way onto the field or be cut lose after serving on the PS. Kind of like a red shirt in college.

by Txcardsfan on Sep 4, 2011 12:55 PM MDT reply actions

Exactly!

Like the Cardinals? Revenge of the Birds is where to go.
Like Arizona Sports in general? SB Nation Arizona is where you'll get it all.
Follow me on Twitter! @senorjessroot

by Jess Root on Sep 4, 2011 1:27 PM MDT up reply actions

Maybe this is premature

But you have to give credit to the FO and coaching staff for building a roster that is starting to look more complete from top to bottom.
Still a ways to go, but comparing this team to teams in the past and it looks like we have more depth than maybe we have ever had.
Not keeping UDFA’s is a good thing in my mind, means the guys we have drafted and picked up whom are already on the roster are of good enough quality that they can beat out a kid who didn’t even get drafted.

by Jesse Reynolds on Sep 4, 2011 2:33 PM MDT reply actions

Undrafted players on the initial cut to 53

These thirteen players all started their nfl careers as undrafted rookies. That accounts for 25% of the team. Spach has since been released but was on the initial cut to 53.

Michael Adams
Richard Bartel
D’Anthony Batiste
Jay Feely
AJ Jefferson
Mike Leach
Paris Lenon
Lyle Sendlein
Alphonso Smith
Stephen Spach
Ronald Talley
Reggie Walker
Steven Williams

by hadrarius on Sep 4, 2011 10:55 PM MDT reply actions