It is no secret that the Arizona Cardinals do not have a lot of money to spend this offseason, as they are only $5 million under the cap. They could open up more room by cutting Kevin Kolb, Beanie Wells, Adam Snyder, etc. but those moves have yet to be made. For now, we just have to take it from where they are, which means they will not be signing any big names to big contracts this year.
When a new coaching regime comes in, they typically like to bring in players that they have worked with previously to their new team. We saw it with Ken Whisenhunt, as he was constantly bringing in old Pittsburgh Steelers players that he coached or interacted with while in Pittsburgh.
So who could Bruce Arians, who has recently worked with the Colts and Steelers and Told Bowles, who worked with the Dolphins and Eagles, bring in? Let's take a look at some of the possibilities.
The Colts have a good amount of free agents this year and given their new coach and youth movement, they will likely let most of them walk. The Cards have been said to have interest in quarterback Drew Stanton. He is a definite option. Also, cornerback Jerraud Powers could make sense after the team cut William Gay. Powers has been a nice piece to the Colts secondary for many years. Then there is also the long shot of Dwight Freeney, who could provide some pass rushing skills to a team sorely lacking them.
Rashard Mendenhall from the Steelers is somebody Coach Arians has worked closely with before and he could immediately come provide, at the very least, some insurance to the Cardinals' oft-injured backfield. Keenan Lewis is another secondary player I could see the Cards reaching out to.
Although he worked on the other side of the ball, quarterback Matt Moore is someone that has worked on the same team as Todd Bowles (who coaches defense) and would be an ideal fit for Arians' offense given his propensity to throw down the field. Sean Smith isn't someone I could see the Cardinals pursuing, as he would likely be too expensive. Still, could you imagine a secondary of Patrick Peterson and Smith? That would look good. Many have mentioned Jake Long, but he has not played well the past couple of seasons and will be seeking too much money.
From the Eagles, where Bowles worked most recently, our old friend DRC (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) might be willing to come back where he started his career. That, of course, depends of the price. The Eagles will likely do everything they can to retain him. Jake Scott, on the other hand, may be up for grabs. He came to the Eagles on a one-year deal last season from the Titans. In 2011, he was a very talented guard for Tennessee, but he fell off a bit in 2012 in Philly. He could be a steal for the Cardinals to plug in at right guard.
What do you think? Are there any other players from the teams I mentioned that the Cardinals should pursue? Tell us in the comments section below.