The Arizona Cardinals have made some moves with the start of free agency, but one does not appear to be tendering their restricted free agents. They announced that tight end Jake Ballard agreed to a new one-year contract, but the teams other restricted free agents -- running back Alfonso Smith, linebacker Marcus Benard and defensive lineman Ronald Talley -- have not been offered qualifying offers and will become free agents.
Talley himself announced the new via he Twitter account:
Im listed as restricted but I've been informed that I won't be back with @azcardinals. I'm ready for a new uniform!! #FreeAgent #ReadyToWork
— Ronald Talley (@daTalleyman) March 11, 2014
Talley's time with the team took an interesting turn. He was one of the few back of the roster holdovers from Ken Whisenhunt and was praised in training camp for his versatility and strength (Bruce Arians called him "country strong"), but ended the season inactive for the last few games.
Arizona is looking to get stronger on the offensive and defensive lines and it appears that Talley did not fit in with the team's plans.
We will see if he lands anywhere. A particular team to watch could be the Tennessee Titans, coached by Whisenhunt and Ray Horton, with whom Talley worked previous to 2013.
As for Benard and Smith, we will likely hear something relatively soon.