Six down, One to go

With training camp set to start, the Cardinals only have one rookie yet to sign as linebacker Daryl Washington signed a four-year contract on Friday.  The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

Washington was drafted in the second round, 47th overall pick, by Arizona back in April.  In his senior season at TCU, he was a first-team All-American and earned All-Mountain West Conference honors after having 109 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions.

The rookie will be backing up Gerald Hayes, who has battled a back injury throughout most of the off-season.  He could also battle Paris Lenon for a starting job at right inside linebacker.

Dan Williams is now the only pick unsigned and the organization will continue to hash out a deal with him.  Don’t expect it to be long before he signs on the dotted line because they want to get him in camp on time so he can learn all he can at the nose tackle spot.

Tags: Dan Williams, Daryl Washington, Gerald Hayes, Paris Lenon

Examining The Roster: O-Line

Players are set to report to camp in Flagstaff beginning tomorrow night, which means that I need to finish up Examining The Roster.  Next up, the offensive line, which should be a much improved unit for the upcoming year over years past.

Tackles

Levi Brown: Many people were disappointed when the Cardinals took Brown over Adrian Peterson back in the 2007 draft, but with how bad Arizona’s line was at the time, it was hard to argue against the pick.  Plus, Brown has been pretty good for his first three years in the league.  He will be making the change over to the left side of the line this coming year where he will be playing against top ends week in and week out.  With having a left-handed quarterback though, left tackle isn’t as important if Arizona were starting a righty QB.  Brown should be solid with the change though.

Brandon Keith: With Mike Gandy and Brown starting on the left side, Keith should be the starter at right tackle once the season starts.  He has been the starter throughout the off-season workouts and has played well.  Even though he wasn’t a top pick, the coaching staff has been high on Keith since he was drafted back in 2008 out of Northern Iowa.  Keith’s play and protecting Matt Leinart’s backside will be a major key to this offense having continued success.  Hopefully Keith will be up for the challenge.

Depth guys: Behind Brown and Keith, the guy with the most experience will be Jeremy Bridges.  He started four games last year when injuries hit the line pretty hard.  The 30-year-old can play at both guard and at tackle.  Versatility is always an important quality in an offensive line and Bridges fits right into that mold.  Herman Johnson is another guy that the coaching staff is real high because of how big and strong he is, but he doesn’t have the ideal athleticism to play at tackle.  He could be a heck of a run blocker down the line because the dude is a mammoth.  Jonathan Palmer and Casey Knips will also be in the mix.

Guards

Alan Faneca: The Cards were quick the snatch up Faneca after he was released back in April by the Jets and rightfully so, he is still pretty darn good for his age.  Even though he is nearing 34, he is still playing close to his Pro Bowl level and that is an upgrade over what this line has had at the same spot in recent years.  Faneca has been the starter at left guard since Day One when he signed on the dotted line and there is no reason to think otherwise.

Reggie Wells: Wells was on the left side last season, but with Faneca being on the left side for years now, Wells will be moved over to the right side.  Wells is solid both in run and pass protection and has been one of the Cards most consistent o-linemen over the last couple of years.  Probably the most important thing of all, he can help out Keith, who will need all the help that he can get.

Depth guys: I have talked about Deuce Lutui frequently throughout this off-season because with him wanting a new contract and his suddenly increased body weight.  Lutui has his work cut out for him and it is hard to imagine him starting over Wells because of how he acted over the off-season and how much he will be overweight coming into camp.  You would have to think that the coaching staff isn’t too thrilled with him.  Rex Hadnot was brought over from Cleveland during the off-season and has had several starts over the years.  He will provide nice depth at both guard spots and even at center if need be.

Centers

Lyle Sendlein: An undrafted rookie out of Texas, not much was expected out of Sendlein coming out of college, but Russ Grimm changed that.  Sendlein has been the starter at center at three years now and has been the only guy on the line that hasn’t switched positions at one point.  He earned the respect of many after it was learned during the 2009 off-season that he played with a very serious shoulder injury throughout the 2008 season.  Even though he is undersized and gets bullied at times by nose tackles, the former Longhorn has been much better than expected and continues to be the rock on the line.

Depth Guys: Ben Claxton and David Moosman are in the mix for a roster spot, but both are long shots to make it simply because Hadnot can move over and be effective at center if Sendlein gets hurt.

Tags: Adrian Peterson, Ben Claxton, Brandon Keith, David Moosman, Deuce Lutui, Jeremy Bridges, Levi Brown, Lyle Sendlein, Matt Leinart, Mike Gandy, Reggie Wells, Russ Grimm

Schofield locked up

The Cardinals moved one step closer to signing their entire 2010 rookie class on Tuesday as linebacker O’Brien Schofield signed a four-year contract with the terms of the deal not yet disclosed.  Tackle Devin Tyler was released in order to make room on the roster for Schofield.

Schofield was considered a first round pick by most scouts before he tore a ligament in his left knee during practice in preparation for the Senior Bowl.  He had 62 tackles, 12 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss in 13 games in his last year at Wisconsin.

Arizona’s top two picks, Dan Williams and Daryl Washington, remain the only two rookies unsigned.  Look for the organization to try and do their best try to get both of those guys signed before players start reporting to Flagstaff for camp on Friday.

*Look for the preview on the offensive line to be up sometime in the upcoming days.  I just returned from a great vacation in San Diego and continue to be busy with other stuff as well.

Tags: Dan Williams, Daryl Washington, O'Brien Schofield

Examining The Roster: TE’s

We are inching closer and closer to the start of camp, which means Examining The Roster is coming closer and closer to an end.  I will be looking at the tight end position this time around.  Arizona could have had Tony Gonzalez a few years back, but they have instead stuck with guys who are excellent blockers to help out an offensive line that has struggled in recent years.  With the line expected to be better, will that mean more production out of the tight ends?  I will take a look at that question.

Ben Patrick: There is no disputing that Patrick was highly-touted coming out of college.  He was the best tight end prospect in the Division 1-AA ranks and he was a semi-finalist for the John Mackey Award in his final year in college, but he has done next to nothing so far at the pro level.  In his first three seasons in the league, he has only had a total of 30 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns.  The 25-year-old received his most minutes last season, catching 12 balls for 146 yards and two touchdowns, but he still only managed to play in nine games, four of which he missed because he was suspended for testing positive for amphetamines.  He has the prototypical size and makeup for a tight end, but he doesn’t do anything exceptionally well and there of course is the question on his character.  He was re-signed only for one-year, so he needs to prove to the organization that he can step up and be an effective tight end in this league.  If he doesn’t, he will be looking for a job somewhere else next year.

Anthony Becht: When Becht is in the game, everyone in the league knows what he is in there to do.  That is to block and he is one of the best at that in the league.  The decline in the number of catches that Becht has had the last three years clearly show that and his overall numbers have been on the decline ever since he had 40 catches back in 2003 with the Jets.  His season high the last three seasons was seven last year with the Cards.  Don’t expect that number to go up when he will be 33 once the season starts.  Becht will continue being one of the best blocking tight ends in the league and will once again be a favorite of Ken Whisenhunt’s.

Stephen Spach: An undrafted rookie out of Fresno State, Spach came out of nowhere in the the playoffs two years ago against Atlanta, catching three passes for 34 yards.  He then tore his ACL in the next game against the Panthers and he has struggled to get back ever since.  He saw limited time in 2009 batting to come back from the injury.  Spach had only four catches for 38 yards and saw most of his minutes coming in garbage time against the Packers in Week 17.  Like Patrick and Becht, his strength is clearly his blocking ability, but if he is 100 percent from the ACL injury, he probably has the most upside to catch the ball out of the tight ends on this roster.

Dominique Byrd: I had to double check to see if Byrd was still on the roster.  Back in November he was released by the team, but was re-signed in the middle of January.  The 26-year-old was highly thought of coming out of college because of his freakish athletic ability and his blend of size and speed, but he has been a disaster both on and off the field since he was drafted by St. Louis in the third back in 2006.  On the field, he only has a total of six catches in his NFL career so far.  He has been accused of falling asleep in team meetings and missing team charters, but he also has been arrested for a DUI and also or a bar fight incident in which in which he hit someone with a piece of glass.  The guy may be a talent, but he is also a headcase.  It is hard to imagine him sticking around if he doesn’t impress during camp.

Jim Dray: Dray was just signed to a four-year deal just this past week.  The former Stanford product was a seventh round pick by Arizona back in April.  Dray missed all but two games during the 2008 season, but played in 11 games during his senior season where he was named to the second team All Pac-10 with 11 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns.  Dray was thought by many throughout college to be one of the best blocking tight ends in the country, which will be a perfect fit for this team and Whisenhunt’s system.  If the team decides to keep three tight ends for the season, Dray is going to have to beat out both Spach and Byrd to make the roster for Week One.  It should turn out to be one of the most interesting battles in camp.

Tags: Anthony Becht, Ben Patrick, Dominique Byrd, Jim Dray, Ken Whisenhunt, Stephen Spach, Tony Gonzalez

Another rookie signs

Andre Roberts is the latest Cardinals rookies to sign their contract on Thursday.  The deal is for four years with a signing bonus that is reported to be around 724,000.

Roberts was drafted in the third round at number 88 overall out of the Citadel.  The 5-foot-11, 195 pounder set school records for single-game receptions, single-game punt returns and held season records in catches, receiving yards and punt return yards.

Only O’Brien Schofield, Daryl Washington and Dan Williams remain unsigned out of Arizona’s 2010 draft class.

Tags: Andre Roberts, Dan Williams, Daryl Washington, O'Brien Schofield

Skelton signs deal

The third of the Cardinals 2010 draft picks has signed on the dotted line as quarterback John Skelton has agreed to a four-year, $1.97 million deal.  The deal includes a $182,000 signing bonus.

Skelton was drafted in the fifth round by Arizona with the 155th overall pick.  During his collegiate career at Fordham, he set school records in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and attempts.  Because of his size and his arm strength, some are comparing Skelton to Ben Roethlisberger, but that comparison remains to be seen.

As a result of the Skelton signing, the team released safety Herana-Daze Jones to make room for the rookie on the roster.

Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Herana-Daze Jones, John Skelton

Examining The Roster: WR’s

In this edition of Examining The Roster, I will be looking at the Cardinals deepest position in terms of talent; wide receiver.  The unit is expected to be one of the best and deepest in the entire league, but questions remain.  Can Steve Breaston replace Anquan Boldin’s production?  Will Early Doucet finally step up and be an effective number three guy?  How good is Andre Roberts?  I will try to answer all of these questions.

Larry Fitzgerald: There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said about this guy.  Plain and simple, he is one of the best, if not the best receiver in the game today.  Fitz has a great blend of speed and size, which makes him nearly impossible to play one-on-one.  Not to mention, he has great hands and a work ethic that isn’t matched.  He has been back in home state of Minnesota working out with several teammates including Kerry Rhodes and other players throughout the league and we are still three weeks out from the start of training camp.  That tells you a little bit about his commitment to the organization and having a successful season.  Some are worried that the departure of Kurt Warner are going to hurt Fitzgerald’s numbers, but I just don’t see it.  Great receivers usually put up their numbers no matter who is their QB and it isn’t like Matt Leinart is A.J. Feeley.  Expect another big year from this fan favorite and suddenly the leader of the offense.

Steve Breaston: After having a brilliant second season, Breaston struggled a bit last year.  He had 22 less catches and nearly 300 less receiving yards last season than he did back in 2008.  Of course injuries had a lot to do with his down numbers.  He missed two games against San Francisco and St. Louis and had three games where he had only one catch, so injuries obviously had a big part on his year.  With Boldin gone, Breaston is slated to get more looks this year as the number two guy behind Fitz.  It looks as though the team is even set to remove him as the main punt returner so he can put his full attention to his receiving duties.  One of the biggest reasons why people are so excited about Breaston for the upcoming season is that he is in a contract year.  He wants to prove that he is a quality number two guy in order to get a long-term deal to give himself more financial stability.  Historically guys that are in contract years tend to have big time years.  If that is going to be the case with Breaston, this offense is going to be scary good and could set some records.

Early Doucet: Doucet has been buried on the depth chart for his first two seasons in the league, but it looks as though he is going to finally get significant playing time on the upcoming year.  With having two years already in the system, he has a major leg up on the guys behind him on the depth chart.   The former LSU product started to show some signs of being a player in the the second half last season when he had four catches against the Bears in Week Nine and four in mop up action against the Packers to close out the year.  He hadn’t played  in a single game up to the Bears contest.   Doucet doesn’t have great speed or exceptional athleticism, but he has good hands and works really well in traffic, something that this team could really miss with Boldin gone.  It is hard to count how many times he came up with big catches over the middle of the field in his time in a Cardinals uniform.  When you see Doucet practice, his body type actually reminds you a lot of Q.  He isn’t tall, but he is as strong as a bull.  Here is hoping that he turns out as well as Q did.

Andre Roberts: At some point the Cardinals were going to draft a receiver with Boldin gone to Baltimore.  It was just a matter of when and who it was going to be.  Most scouts agreed that the Cards got a steal in drafting Roberts in the third round.  Roberts was as productive as they come at the Citadel.  He had 78, 95 and 77 catches his final three years in college and to go along with 31 touchdowns.  His athleticism and his ability to read defenses are his two biggest strengths.  He ran a 4.46 40 at the combine and did well in his other workouts.  Even though it may take Roberts a few years to become a big time threat at receiver because he has a bit of a learning curve due to not playing top level talent throughout most of his collegiate career, he is already one of the main favorites to return punts.  He did a good job of it in college and has been doing it through off-season workouts.  That should be the biggest impact that he will make in his rookie season in the coming year and could make some noise at receiver if Doucet disappoints or if an injury occurs ahead of him on the depth chart.

Onrea Jones: An undrafted rookie out of Hampton, Jones has yet to have see the field since he entered the league back in 2007.  Jones has been a member of the Chargers, Packers, Colts, and Redskins.  He has decent size and speed, but he doesn’t do anything above average.  He could play the role that Jerheme Urban has played the last couple of seasons.  Urban left in free agency to go to Kansas City.  Jones will need to have a good camp and a good pre-season in order to make the Week One roster.

Ed Gant: What a shame on this guy.  The team was high on him up to the point where the NFL suspended him for the first four regular season games for violating the league’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.  Gant can still practice and play in the preseason games, but because of his suspension and the sudden emergence of Jones, it is hard to imagine him not getting cut sometime soon.

Deryn Bowser: A LA boy, Bowser went undrafted during the draft in April.  Standing at 6′1″ and weighing 210 pounds, Bowser is a possession guy.  He had nine touchdowns in his two years at Akron while he only played six games during his senior season.  Bowser is going to have to really impress the coaching staff to even have a shot at a roster spot.  He will more than likely stay on with the practice squad.

Tags: A.J. Feeley, Andre Roberts, Anquan Boldin, Deryn Bowser, Early Doucet, Ed Gant, Jerheme Urban, Kerry Rhodes, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Matt Leinart, Onrea Jones, Steve Breaston

Examining The Roster: RB’s

In the last edition of Examining The Roster, I took a look at the quarterback spot and what lies ahead on the upcoming year for the four guys on the roster at that position.  In this edition, my good friend Ross Dinsdale returns to look at the running backs, which has grown into a strength for this team and will be one of the main keys for a winning season and a chance at a three-peat as NFC West champs.  With Kurt Warner gone and with Matt Leinart now at the helm and an much improved offensive line, expect the running game to be more of an emphasis early on to start off the year.

Beanie Wells: The former Ohio State product is entering his second season as the Cardinals premier running back.  After struggling early last year with ball control issues and even getting into Ken Whisenhunt’s dog house at one point, he settled down to rush for a total of 793 yards and seven touchdowns to finish off a promising rookie season.  He showed the National Football League his arsenal off weapons, which includes a bus-stopping stiff arm and a nice burst of speed running through a hole when it is given to him.  Although he shared the position with the guy that I will mention next last year, Beanie should see an increase in touches after a productive 2009 campaign and with his ball control issues all settled.  Wells has spent the off-season working with strength and conditioning coach John Lott.  He has had a history of injuries at Ohio State and it was one of the reasons why his stock fell in the draft, but Lott’s techniques should help keep him on the field throughout the season.  A healthy Wells could be the difference between a winning or losing season.

Tim Hightower: Hightower is the second head to Arizona’s two-headed rushing attack.  He is your prototypical third down back.  With a fierce, in your face style of running, he easily can convert those short yardage situation or score in the red zone.  In his first two seasons at the pro level, the 222 pounder already has 18 touchdowns on the ground.  He is a nice compliment to Wells.  Hightower is not only a rushing threat, but a receiving threat as well.  He had 63 catches out of the backfield last season, which was good enough for second best in the entire league.  His ability to catch balls out of the backfield and create his own plays enable him to be another playmaker on a team already full of them. Although Hightower is ahead of Wells on the depth chart, he should still receive his fair share of touches as the number two guy.  As Wells progresses, Hightower fits more into this role.  With Hightower backing up Wells, they could form one of the more dynamic rushing duo’s in the league.

LaRod Stephens-Howling: Being the third option on this team behind Hightower and Wells; Stephens-Howling doesn’t get the opportunity to touch the ball very often.  He had only a total of 16 touches in the air and on the ground last season.  Drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, the Pitt product was regarded as under-sized by some critics and rightfully so, he only stands at 5′7″ and weights only 180 pounds, but he has become a fan favorite of fans and the coaching staff as well.  Making the team out of camp last season, LSH provided a spark on special teams, returning punts and kickoffs while relieving wideout Steve Breaston of his duties.  In Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans, Stephens-Howling took a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the game late in the fourth quarter on the road.  The Cardinals ended up losing the game, but he came out on top that day.  Stephens-Howling should continue his services as a return specialists while offering Leinart just another target to throw to in case of an injury occurs in this already potent offense.

*Thanks once again to Ross for writing this.  Look for the receivers to be up sometime early next week.

Tags: Beanie Wells, Kurt Warner, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Matt Leinart, Steve Breaston, Tim Hightower

Another day down, another pick signed

For the second day in a row, the Cardinals have locked up one of their draft picks to a four-year deal with this time it being cornerback Jorrick Calvin.  Like Jim Dray who was signed on Thursday, the terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Calvin comes out Troy where he was academically ineligible to play last season.  In 12 starts during his junior season in 2008, he recorded 76 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries with a forced fumble.  He was also a successful kick returner at Troy and averaged nearly 26 yards a return, good for first in the Sun Belt Conference.

The former Troy product has been one of a handful of kick returners competing during off-season workouts and could very well be alongside LaRod Stephens-Howling returning kicks during Week One in St. Louis.  He will also be battling for playing time behind several guys at the corner spot.

Look for the next edition of Examining The Roster to be up sometime later today.

Tags: Jim Dray, Jorrick Calvin, LaRod Stephens-Howling

Dray signed

The first of the Cardinals 2010 draft picks has signed as tight end Jim Dray has agreed on a four-year deal to be in Arizona.  Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

Dray was a seventh round pick, 233rd overall by the Cards.  At Stanford last season, he earned Pac-10 second-team honors in 11 starts for the Cardinal.  He caught 11 balls for 149 yards with three touchdowns.

He will be behind Ben Patrick, Anthony Becht and Stephen Spach on the depth chart at tight end.

Tags: Anthony Becht, Ben Patrick, Jim Dray, Stephen Spach