Continuing on our series based off of the CBS top 50 free agents list, I will be looking at a player that some of you may not have heard much about due to the team he has played for. The Buffalo Bills have been in the doldrums for years and with the departure of a guy like Paul Posluszny, it can only get worse.
Posluszny was drafted in the second round out of Penn State when the Bills traded up with the Detroit Lions to get him. Playing at the inside linebacker position, Posluszny or "Poz" as many call him, would fill a spot that could potentially compliment Paris Lenon or second year TCU alum, Daryl Washington.
To find out more about Posluszny and why he would be an ideal fit for the Cardinals, hit the jump.
CBS describes Poz as a, "good, solid starter, but nothing more." I tend to agree based on the bit that I have seen of him, as he is not the most athletic person, but he certainly has a good football IQ and he plays to his strengths.
Here is what Scouts, Inc. has to say about Posluszny:
He is a smart player at the inside linebacker position. Posluszny is a high-motor and active player with excellent instincts to find the football. He is not a great athlete for the spot but is rarely out of position because of his first-step quickness and smarts. Posluszny works hard to take on blocks and uses his hands well to shed. He has improved in coverage and looks fluid in his zone drops. The big key is staying healthy, as he has played 16 games only one time in his first three seasons.
Cardinals fans have been looking for a guy that can be a plug and a "thumper" and a player that can run downhill while Washington can use his speed to roam the sidelines. At this juncture, Paris Lenon could be used more sparingly, giving our starters breathers and filling in when an injury occurs.
Poz would seemingly fit in quite well, as he has been playing in a 3-4 defense in Buffalo for a while now.
Paul Posluszny is listed as the best linebacker free agent that will be available during the offseason. If I were Rod Graves or Ken Whisenhunt, a guy like Poz would definitely make me give him a hard look. He could help cure our run defense, which leaked like a sieve last season. Also, he would bring a certain toughness to the linebacker corps, along with providing some much needed depth.
I am not quite sure how much he will command on the open market, but I am all aboard for paying up a bit of money to get a guy like this playing in Glendale for the next few years.
What do you think? Should the Cardinals pursue Poz?
Just for fun, here is a highlights video of Poz and the Bills when they played the Bengals (it was the only decent video I could find).