Teams across the NFL are making moves to improve their rosters at a rate never seen before. The Arizona Cardinals have been among the busiest, as noted with the 51 player moves as of the start of the week. Since everyone has an opinion and the Internet is awesome for giving them, people have been grading the teams on their offseason additions.
I personally believe the Cardinals have been very successful, but I am not the only one. They have gotten high grades from a lot of writers and broadcasters.
John Clayton for ESPN listed the Cardinals among the winners so far.
Their aggressiveness stunned everyone. Not only did the Cardinals pick up Kolb in a trade, they added guards Daryn Colledge and Floyd Womack, cornerback Richard Marshall, linebacker Stewart Bradley, tight ends Todd Heap and Jeff King and wide receiver Chansi Stuckey.
A Sporting News article puts the Cardinals as number seven in the league in best moves.
They had to get Kolb. Plucking Daryn Colledge from the Packers will strengthen the offensive line, and cornerback pickup Richard Marshall is likely to start opposite rookie Patrick Peterson.
A Yahoo Sports blog had them as one of the five teams that most improved in offseason.
Kolb's their big offseason prize, but under the radar, the Cardinals did pretty well with free agents, too. Stewart Bradley immediately upgrades the linebacking corps, and Daryn Colledge will help stabilize the offensive line.
Scott Van Pelt, on his ESPN Radio show said, "I found it fascinating to see the organizations who were ready to just say ‘let's go' (after the new CBA was negotiated) and obviously the Cardinals were one of them."
Adam Schein, on Sirius NFL Radio, gave his thoughts:
"Without question, (the Cardinals) should be proud. Rich [Gannon] and I think that you've got a future great quarterback in Kevin Kolb, who can come in and contribute right away. Great for this year. Great for beyond....Just an amazing move for the Arizona Cardinals. Just a perfect trade. We made those same comparisons to [Matt] Schaub and Aaron Rodgers...I love the signings of [Richard] Marshall and Stewart Bradley. Good pick-ups as well...Amazing stuff. (The Cardinals) are one of the true winners here, in Christmas in July. This football team is ready to rock and roll once again."
I, too believe the Cardinals have done very well for themselves. If they manage to get Larry Fitzgerald, I think we can probably call this perhaps the most successful offseason ever.