Cardinals slip into bottom five of ESPN post-free agency power rankings
Mar 27, 2018, 10:55 AM
Arizona Cardinals new quarterback Sam Bradford speaks at an NFL football news conference Friday, March 16, 2018, at the teams' facility in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The Arizona Cardinals have been unable to make a splash in free agency this offseason and ESPN has taken notice.
ESPN released its first NFL power rankings of the 2018 season just hours after the Super Bowl and Arizona was listed at No. 26. Now having composed a post-free agency power ranking, the Cardinals slipped to No. 29.
Coming into the offseason, Arizona was in search of quarterback depth to replace the newly-retired Carson Palmer as well as pending free agents Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert.
After losing out on the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes, the team signed quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon to fill the depth chart but ESPN doesn’t believe Bradford will play the entire season.
The Cardinals entered the offseason with no quarterbacks signed for 2018, and now they have two: Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. There’s a good chance Arizona will need both this season, too. Bradford has missed 48 games in his career, and has played all 16 games just twice in eight NFL seasons.
In addition to Bradford and Glennon, Arizona brought in linemen Andre Smith and Justin Pugh to improve one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Though both have the potential to be difference makers, Smith has started double-digit games once in the past four seasons while Pugh has missed 13 games in two years.
Acquisitions aside, the Cardinals have also lost quite a bit.
Cornerback Tramon Williams signed with Green Bay and wide receivers John Brown and Jaron Brown went to Baltimore and Seattle, respectively. Additionally, Arizona released former All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu and traded offensive lineman Jared Veldheer.
With the NFL Draft on the horizon, it appears the Cardinals now have more questions than when they entered the free agency period.
