Arizona

Cardinals

Simmons was exclusively a linebacker early in his career, but played 423 snaps at cornerback and safety last season. The Cardinals declined his fifth-year option despite Simmons having arguably his most successful year to date in 2022. He has not consistently been a good run defender, but Simmons offers a lot of versatility and this is likely a good move for him.

“All anyone knows for sure is with Kyler Murray expected to miss some portion of next season and Colt McCoy being an obvious injury risk, the door could swing open for Tune to experience his own Brock Purdy-type opportunity,” writes McManaman. “Considering the offense, the Cardinals wouldn’t have to change much if Tune were left to run the show.” Tune ran 4.6 at the Combine, tying for the second-highest RAS behind Colts QB Anthony Richardson, and was a five-year starter at Houston, making him the most pro-ready of this year’s quarterbacks. An injured McCoy and journeymen David Blough/Jeff Driskel are all that stand in Tune’s way of starting Week 1.

Just days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Blankenship would be trying out with the Buccaneers in minicamp, RapSheet circled back around with news of the team signing him to a deal ahead of training camp. The former Colts and Cardinals kicker has converted 83.3 percent of his field goals since entering the league in 2020 but appeared in just two games last season due to a torn muscle in his leg. Blankenship will now compete for a roster spot with Chase McLaughlin, who took over as the Colts kicker last September after they released Blankenship.

Brown was held out because of previous foot issues, per Gannon -- he missed several games on IR last year while dealing with a foot injury. It’s worth monitoring for signs that Brown could miss more time, but this probably is just taking it slow during minicamp for a vet that the Cardinals will be relying on in the regular season. We’re not too concerned at the moment.

Baker surprisingly showed up yesterday, it looks like the Cardinals may be willing to tack on some money to his contract to appease the pro-bowl safety. Gannon said he was not sure if Baker would be participating tomorrow. It would certainly behoove the Cardinals to make amends with one of their star holdouts after releasing DeAndre Hopkins.

Baker requested a trade in April and has been absent from voluntary OTAs all offseason. However, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reports Baker is expected to report to mandatory minicamp, marking the first time he’ll set foot on the field since the team hired Jonathan Gannon as head coach. Baker’s trade demands appear to have more to do about his current contract, not the team’s current direction, as Adam Schefter reported in April that Baker would like to be the highest-paid safety in the league. Baker reporting to mandatory activities could curry favor with newly minted GM Monti Ossenfort, who said he has been in talks with Baker this offseason, but there’s no guarantee a new deal gets done here. Baker is under contract for two more seasons, although it’s worth noting he has no guaranteed money left on his current deal.

Price, a fourth-year pro out of Norfolk State, played his first three seasons with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in the 2020 class. He appeared in 15 games for the Lions in 2021, including two starts, but has otherwise served as a practice squad or depth player throughout his career. Maybin came into the league as an undrafted free agent in the 2019 class and has made just four career appearances, all of which came during the 2020 season. The two join a Cardinals secondary largely lacking significant playmakers outside of Budda Baker but are likely to require a strong camp showing to make the active roster come September.

Hopkins still looked like a worthy No. 1 target last year, going for 64/717/3 in nine starts after a PED suspension. It’s surprising that the Cardinals couldn’t find a single taker for him, even on a $29 million cap number. Arizona will save some cap space on the transaction. Hopkins will be able to shop his services to teams directly now, and has been tied at various points this offseasons to contenders like the Bills and Chiefs as well as WR-needy teams like the Titans and Patriots. The fantasy fallout of this for Hopkins could ultimately be positive news. It also elevates the fantasy stock for Arizona’s other wideouts, who figure to draw more targets in Hopkins’ absence. Hollywood Brown, for example, did not clear 61 yards with Hopkins back. He cleared it in five of six games without Hopkins.

Golden visited with the Steelers on Tuesday and was signed by Wednesday. Released by the Cardinals as a cap casualty earlier this offseason, Golden, who managed just 2.5 sacks last season, will look to rebound with the Steelers while playing opposite T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Golden totaled 11 sacks with the Cardinals in 2021 but has been inconsistent as a pass rusher since entering the league in 2015. At worst, he’s a veteran presence who will provide added depth to a pass rush that’s thin behind Watt.

Johnson was one of five Cardinals rookies to put pen to paper on Thursday as the team gets ready for its rookie minicamp. Johnson (6’6/313) has experience at both guard and tackle but enters the league as a tackle. In his two years of starting experience at Ohio State, Johnson only allowed two sacks on 910 pass block snaps. While anchoring the blind side for the second-ranked scoring offense in the country, he earned numerous accolades, including first team All-American honors. Johnson has the prototypical size of a modern OT. While he didn’t do any running tests at the Combine, his 9’02” broad jump (87th%) and 29 bench reps (90th%) were both excellent marks, while his raptor-like 36.125” arms are ideal. With Kyler Murray recovering from a torn ACL, the Cardinals are clearly making protecting him a priority after securing their left tackle of the future.