Adrian Peterson to Arizona Cardinals might not happen, but it is definitely in play

This time a year ago, the Arizona Cardinals had addressed the running back position in free agency, signing Jonathan Dwyer to a one-year contract. After the retirement of Rashard Mendenhall, he added a veteran presence to the group and was going to be the big back complement to Andre Ellington.

Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson has been the talk of this offseason -- especially when brought up as a possibility for the Arizona Cardinals.

There has been report after report and rumor after rumor about how the Cardinals might trade for Peterson, but we haven't heard specifically the Cardinals are actually in talks with Minnesota.

That silence says a lot.

The Cardinals have a need at running back. They have no veteran experience in the room, with Stepfan Taylor and Andre Ellington being the most veteran players of the backs on the roster, with two seasons each.

The team has talked about wanting to add a running back, yet they did not.

What does that mean? It means Adrian Peterson is definitely in play.

I believe the team wants a veteran player in every position room. If the Cardinals were not considering or pursuing Peterson, they would have nabbed their running back target, probably a guy on a shorter, cheaper deal.

They didn't, and while drafting a running back certainly is a possibility, it doesn't change the fact that there is no veteran in that running back room.

So while a deal for Peterson is no certainty, it should be noted -- if the team weren't seriously considering him, they would have already addressed the position.

They haven't and that inaction should be all you need to know about the reality of a Peterson to Arizona trade.