Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart
- NFC West
- Stadium
- State Farm Stadium
- Head Coach
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Offensive Coordinator
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Defensive Coordinator
- Vance Joseph
- Special Teams Coach
- Jeff Rodgers
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
Free-agent defensive end J.J. Watt announced on Twitter on Monday that he has chosen the Arizona Cardinals as his next team. The Cardinals are giving the star pass-rusher a two-year deal worth $31 million, according to an informed source. The deal includes $23 million guaranteed. The 31-year-old is a five-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro, but he's been hurt by injuries in three of the last five seasons. Watt managed to play in 16 games in his final season in Houston in 2020, recording 52 tackles (14 for loss), 17 QB hits, one interception for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and five sacks. Paired up with Chandler Jones on Arizona's defensive line, the Cardinals Defense will be much more feared with the addition of Watt.
Free-agent defensive lineman J.J. Watt has received contract offers from multiple teams, according to league sources. The largest offer on the table is believed to be worth between $15 million and $16 million. The Cleveland Browns are one of the teams interested in the pass-rusher, but it's unclear if they have submitted an offer to the five-time Pro Bowler. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was released by the Houston Texans earlier this month after a decade-long run with the team. Around a dozen teams, including the Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills, expressed interest in Watt shortly after his release. The soon-to-be 32-year-old ranked 15th out of 119 qualified pass-rushers in pass-rush win rate in 2020. Watt has been slowed by injuries in recent seasons, but he can still make a huge impact with any team that signs him.
Arizona Cardinals impending free-agent running back Kenyan Drake, who is coming off his best season (955 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns), is open to anything as he approaches free agency next month. "There are gonna be several different circumstances that I guess I'll come together with my team to kind of deliberate with exactly who we feel will be the best fit. But right now, I feel like anything is up in the air," Drake said. The 27-year-old had 1,598 rushing yards, 18 rushing TDs and 308 receiving yards in 23 games (21 starts) in Arizona. With Chase Edmonds still with the Cardinals, they could choose to pair him with a cheaper option and let Drake walk. Staying with the Cardinals rising offense would probably be best for Drake's fantasy value as an RB1, but he could land in another favorable position on the open market. Stay tuned.
Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim acknowledged that the team might "take a swing" on adding free-agent sack master J.J. Watt this offseason. The former three-time Defensive Player of the Year turns 32 years old next month and may have lost a step, but he'll be highly coveted on the open market after the Houston Texans released him last week. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who played with Watt in Houston, is already trying to recruit Watt to the desert. While Arizona would probably love to bring Watt into the fold, things could get tricky with the lowered salary cap in 2021. Watt is no longer one of the first defensive players off the board in IDP leagues, as he's been limited by injuries in three of the last five seasons and had just nine sacks in 2019 and 2020 combined.
Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said that the team has no intentions of releasing edge rusher Chandler Jones (biceps) in a cost-cutting move with the 2021 salary cap expected to drop. The 31-year-old has a $20.8 million salary cap hit this year in the final year of his deal. If anything, the Cardinals seem more inclined to work out a contract extension with the outside linebacker, who has been among the league's top sack producers since joining the league in 2012. Jones missed the final 11 games last season due to a torn biceps. He had 10 tackles and just one sack through the first five games of 2020 before his injury, but Jones could easily bounce back in the desert in 2021 as a top IDP linebacker if he remains in Arizona.