For about a day, Azcardinals.com writer Darren Urban had been tweeting about the Arizona Cardinals signing a veteran wide receiver to add depth to the team. On Friday it was reported by Yahoo's Jason Cole that that veteran guy was former Cleveland Browns and New York Jets receiver Chansi Stuckey.
I personally had never heard of him, so I had to research a little bit.
Stuckey has played four years in the league, alternating each year between the Jets and the Browns. Last season was his best so far, catching 40 passes for 346 yards.
He is a speed guy (he ran a sub-4.5 second 40-yard dash before coming into the league. Scouts, Inc. says this:
Stuckey joined the Browns early in 2009 and performed well in his role as a third option in the passing game. Stuckey has adequate size and strength with good initial quickness off the line of scrimmage. He is very quick in and out of breaks. He can locate the open area in zones with good stop and restart ability. He is exciting with the ball in his hands. He has good lateral movement and run instincts. His strength has improved over the past couple of seasons but he can still be easily re-routed by physical press corners. He has become a better perimeter blocker in the running game and appears to be a solid overall performer for Cleveland.
For those wondering, he is not expected to take over the number two position left by the departure of Steve Breaston. The team wants to see what either Andre Roberts or Early Doucet can do.
Ken Whisenhunt said this about him:
"We did a lot of study on him. Really like what he brings to the table, physically, intensity, competitive desire. You know he has the right mindset. When you lose a player like Steve Breaston and what Steve has done (for) us, this is a way of helping to bring that type of attitude to that positon."
Stuckey's contract is not big. It is a two-year deal worth $3.5 million.
He definitely was not a huge signing. But it creates some more competition at the receiver position, something that we know Ken Whisenhunt loves.