Arizona Cardinals Positional Outlook: Why Haven’t We Talked More About Safety?

From the beginning of the offseason, we knew the Arizona Cardinals had a lot on their plate. A new head coach, a new starting quarterback and a host of positions that either needed to be bolstered or filled with new blood entirely.

Many of those holes have been filled, whether you are looking at quarterback with Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon or offensive line with the signings of guys like Justin Pugh and Andre Smith. Then there are the remaining holes that we have been harping on forever like wide receiver and cornerback, two positions that figure to be addressed with the upcoming draft.

But there is one position that is uncharacteristically thin on this team that we really haven’t discussed too much, and that is the safety spot.

With Tyrann Mathieu being released a few weeks back, the Cardinals are down to four total safeties on the roster. Budda Baker and Antoine Bethea figure to be starters from the beginning. Behind them, your depth isn’t anything to get overly excited about with Harlan Miller and Rudy Ford, both former late round draft picks.

In today’s NFL, where every team is constantly in nickel and dime packages, having an abundance of safeties is paramount. Add in the factors that Baker is undersized for the position and that Bethea is aging and there is no doubt that there should be some concern there.

Tre Boston, a 25 year old former safety for the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers, is someone that has reportedly been on Arizona’s radar, but nothing has come to fruition with that. The team may simply look to bolster the position through the draft and save their remaining cap space for filling other holes.

Still, it’s time we start thinking about safety as another position that could stand to be added to. If not, the Cardinals will be playing with fire in hoping that their two main starts in Baker and Bethea can not only produce at a high level again, but remain healthy as well.