Cardinals’ GM Steve Keim to bring in nine players for looks this week

Job security and the NFL don’t go hand-in-hand.

The league is a fickle business and when expectations aren’t met, you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse in a very short period of time.

That could be the case for some members of the Arizona Cardinals’ 53-man roster after a lackluster 33-18 loss to the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field Sunday. The defeat drops the Cardinals, picked by many to win the Super Bowl this year, at a head-scratching 1-2 and trying to figure out just what is going wrong.

The architect of the team, general manager Steve Keim, is tasked with addressing the problem from a personnel standpoint. Keim is always proactive when it comes to roster construction, but the early struggles of this season have created a little more urgency.

Keim called Sunday’s loss maybe the worst three-phase performance in the tenure of himself and head coach Bruce Arians, which is now in its fourth season, comparing it to last January’s 49-15 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game.

“In all three phases, we didn’t see a lot of consistency or a lot of rhythm, but at the same time, your Pro Bowlers, your top players, the guys you’re relying on didn’t play as well either, in my opinion,” Keim told Doug and Wolf Monday morning on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

Keim is actively looking for solutions without being swayed by the emotion of losing.

“You have to continue to fight that, but at the same time, you have to do what’s best for the organization and you have to keep that in mind,” he said. “Coach and I have had a simple philosophy that we have expectations and if you don’t meet our expectations, we’ll try to find somebody who can.

“We’ll stay aggressive with that mindset. So we’ll bring nine players in (Tuesday) and if any of these guys can help us in any way, we’ll churn this roster.”

Certainly, one can speculate there may be an emphasis on special teams contributors in the players Keim brings in for workouts. Punter Drew Butler aggravated an ankle injury he suffered in the season opener Sunday and was unable to punt for the majority of the game. Kicker Chandler Catanzaro, who hadn’t punted in a real game since high school, was forced into action and averaged only 33 yards on two punts.

Long snapper Kameron Canaday, playing in just his third NFL game Sunday, uncorked a wild snap on a short field goal attempt that Buffalo returned for a touchdown in what was a disastrous 10-point swing in the third quarter. He’s been a story line twice in three games, and for a long snapper, that isn’t good.

Keim acknowledged Canaday did take a big hit earlier in the game that required attention from the medical staff, but that position is all about results.

“It’s not about excuses. Bottom line is, he’s got to get it done and he certainly hasn’t on at least two occasions,” Keim said.

The Cardinals return to University of Phoenix Stadium to host the Los Angeles Rams (2-1) Sunday afternoon.

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