For a long time, the Tight End position has been a weakness for the Arizona Cardinals. But now, with the signing of ten year veteran from the Baltimore Ravens and former ASU Sun Devil Todd Heap to a two year deal along with bringing in Jeff King from the Carolina Panthers, the Tight End is now a position of strength for the Cardinals.
Lets take a quick look at the man who has become one of our favorite acquisitions of this short Free Agency period.
Heap has been with the Baltimore Ravens since he was drafted by the team in 2001. Last season, he accounted for 40 catches and 599 yards with five Touchdowns, and over his career he has caught 467 passes for 5,492 yards and 41 Touchdowns. He is also a two time Pro Bowler and All Pro during his time with the Ravens.The Sports Blog Nation scouting report said this when describing Heap.
Assets: Excellent possession target. Great hands. Uses his body to shield defenders. A load to bring down. Still has some jets and can get down the field. Will run corner routes and other 'wide receiver' routes effectively. Very good blocker.
Flaws: Has battled injuries in several seasons.
Coach Whiz also had this to say about him.
"Excited about (Todd Heap). We're getting a veteran player that's been successful in this league. It helps that he has a lot of fans in this area because he played good football here. We're really excited about how he fits in and what we're going to be able to do with him. A large part of these next couple of weeks is seeing what his strengths are in our offense. But when you think about our receivers and combining Todd Heap with them trying to create some mismatches you get pretty excited about that."
Heap himself, a local prospect from Mesa Mountain View High along with ASU, is also excited to be in Arizona again. In his introductory press conference he mentioned being a fan of the Cardinals ever since they first moved to Arizona, and in a list he made of all of the teams that he thought would be a good fit for him the Cardinals were around the top. He was also smiling the entire time during the interview.
Although Heap isn't the same player he was earlier in his career, he is still a good receiving Tight End with reliable hands. New Quarterback Kevin Kolb also likes throwing to Tight Ends, and Heap can wind up being a reliable safety valve for him. This move could also benefit some of the young Tight Ends with the Cardinals such as Rob Housler, Jim Dray, and Stephen Skelton who would be able to benefit from learning behind a longtime veteran who has had success in the NFL like Heap.