NFL Free Agency: Looking At The Results For The Guard Position

After looking at the guard position, the offensive line portion of our free agency series has come to a close. Just to refresh your memory, here are some of the voting results from the offensive tackle position. The Arizona Cardinals could use an upgrade at the guard position as well. Rex Hadnot is a stopgap that is adequate, but not someone to build around for the future. That's not to say bringing in a veteran would be a bad choice, as long as they are able to hold their own and stay healthy.

I gave you six different options for the guard position to vote on. After the jump, let's look at the results for how everyone voted and crown a final winner.

The player that Cardinals fans would least like to see back in the desert is our good old friend, Leonard Davis. Apparently, Davis caused too much damage to the psyches of the fans and no one would like to see the rebirth of the 'Big Red Line'. Here was the full story on Davis.

The next player that did not draw a lot of interest was Ben Grubbs. He is not a solid player in pass protection or in run blocking and with his high status around the league, he may be a bit expensive. Also, having him make the transition from left guard over to the right side made fans a little uneasy. Here was the lowdown on Grubbs.

Landing right in the middle with lukewarm interest is this year's prize of the guard free agent crop, Carl Nicks. Although Nicks is a solid player and would undoubtedly make a huge impact on the line, the cost to bring him in is overwhelming. The team is already paying big loads of money out to other key players, so bringing in Nicks might tip the scale a bit too much. Here was Nicks' story.

Winning the bronze medal was Evan Mathis, who is currently a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. I was a bit surprised that Mathis didn't gain more votes (only 58% were interested in bringing him in), but his cost may be a bit high. Also, some fans would like to see more consistent play from Mathis. The left guard switching over to the right side also became somewhat of a concern for some fans as well. The stats on Mathis can be found here.

Coming in second place was Chad Rinehart. One thing that I failed to mention about Rinehart (my bad) in the original post is that he will become a restricted free agent with the Bills. That said, it becomes very unlikely that the Cardinals plan to target him at all, as they would be forced to surrender draft picks if they sign him. I have the feeling that had I mentioned this, Rinehart's popularity would have been diminished a bit. Nonetheless, here is some info on him.

And the winner of the guard position voting results is... Jake Scott. Scott will be an unrestricted free agent and although he is not the best of run blockers, he is one of the more solid pass protectors in the league. That could be just what the Cardinals need at right guard, especially if they decide to re-sign Levi Brown and place him at right tackle. Scott garnered 76% of the favorable votes. Here is everything you need to know about him.

Now that you see some of the results from the first rounds of voting, it's time to crown a champion. Who do you think the Arizona Cardinals should bring in to team up with Lyle Sendlein and Daryn Colledge in the interior line? Tell us in the comments section and leave your vote in the poll.

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