Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Zach Allen, Byron Murphy, Kelvin Beachum and Will Hernandez are all among the top available free agents this offseason.
Free agency is a couple of weeks away and the Arizona Cardinals have a number of decisions to make. They have a bunch of soon-to-be free agents at important positions.
Pro Football Focus ranked the top 100 players scheduled to be free agents.
The Cardinals have four players listed.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
1 free agent the New Orleans Saints should target from every other team in the NFL, from the Arizona Cardinals to the Washington Commanders:
They say that you miss all of the shots you don’t take, which has been a popular philosophy for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. It’s sometimes tough for them to land their top targets due to the complicated salary cap gymnastics required to fit everyone on their books — but that hasn’t stopped them from aggressively pursuing players who they believe can make their team better.
And that should continue to be the case in 2023. It’s early, and many of these players will sign extensions with their teams in the weeks ahead. But we have an idea of the areas the Saints must upgrade to field a competitive roster in the fall.
Given the list of free agents currently expected to be available, here is one player from each of the other 31 teams around the league who New Orleans should at least make a run at once they’ve reached salary cap compliance (with our division previews and list of alternative free agent targets collected at the bottom):
With that in mind, here are five free agent DB options for the Seahawks to consider this year.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might be the planet’s premiere DB guru, or at least he’s right up there with Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh in their ability to find and develop quality talent on the back end. Seattle’s secondary is in strong shape heading into 2023. In Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams they have one of the league’s top starting safety combos plus a superb backup in Ryan Neal. They also have the most-talented young cornerback in the sport in Tariq Woolen, setting a strong foundation for the future.
However, this group isn’t a finished product just yet. With that in mind, here are five free agent DB options for the Seahawks to consider this year.
Any one of these five cornerbacks could help the Patriots in 2023.
The New England Patriots will be in the market for a defensive back so much that some mock drafts have them taking a cornerback with the No. 14 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft.
There are plenty of options available through free agency and possible trades, which might end up being the better route for a Patriots team that also needs help at offensive tackle. They might be better off preserving their premium draft picks to address the offensive front, while seeking out veteran options at corner.
Keep in mind, Belichick drafted both standout defensive backs, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones in the third and fourth rounds in 2022. So there’s always the possibility of finding a key contributor on day two.
But if the Patriots wanted to go the veteran route, here are five players that would make sense for them to target.
1 free agent New Orleans Saints could target from each NFC West team: If the Saints strike out on Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo might be the next-best QB available
What happens if the New Orleans Saints strike out on Derek Carr? Acquiring a veteran free agent quarterback is still probably their best bet, and at least one option looks to be coming out of the NFC West: San Francisco 49ers free agent Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, whether the Saints can afford to pay what he’ll be seeking from other teams remains to be seen.
He’s just one of the free agents looking to hit the market from out west, along with players from the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks. How competitive the Saints can be in signing fresh talent is anyone’s guess right now, but let’s survey the players who could soon be available:
The Vikings’ new defensive scheme will need cornerbacks that can play man coverage. @TheRealForno identified six that they should target
The Minnesota Vikings have themselves a new defensive coordinator in Brian Flores.
With the hire of Flores, the Vikings have committed to another scheme change, as he runs a significantly more aggressive defense than what Ed Donatell brought in with Vic Fangio’s system.
The defense right now is one that needs a lot of work and the biggest need is at cornerback. Flores requires his corners to play a lot of man coverage and that is something that the Vikings will need to prioritize bringing in players that will be better in man coverage.
Here are six cornerbacks that the Vikings should target with projected contract numbers from Over The Cap.
10 free agent fits for the Patriots heading into the offseason.
The New England Patriots enter 2023 with some glaring holes on the roster after missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. As of today, per Miguel Benzan (PatsCap), the Patriots have $34,067,070 in cap space.
The team could create more cap space by structuring contracts to fit, if needed. Before any signings get announced, let’s look at the players who could fit the mold in New England.
The Patriots may not spend as heavy as 2021, and certainly wont sign all of the top free agents. But what free agents fit well enough with the team to prompt a move in 2023?
Here are 10 players that could be future Patriots.
From @jzulgad: Free agency might be six weeks away, but it’s never too early to start having conversations about who the Vikings should sign
The NFL season has yet to come to a conclusion, but that hasn’t stopped football’s version of the Hot Stove from heating up with speculation about what teams might do and where free agents could be headed.
The process doesn’t officially start until March 15, so much of the talk is focused on Senior Bowl practices and the prospects for the April 27-29 draft in Kansas City. Free agency scuttlebutt will take off later this month when the NFL Combine is held in Indianapolis.
That’s where team executives and agents have been known to have conversations involving players who are still under contract. Some call that tampering, but we here at Vikings Wire refer to it as good old-fashioned fun.
We also figure why wait until the combine to begin speculating on whom the Vikings might target. The Vikings are expected to part ways with a few veterans to open cap space, so who might replace them?
Pro Football Focus and ESPN (subscription) both published their lists of the top 50 free agents. Some of these players could have the franchise tag put on them or return to their current team, but many will sign elsewhere.
Here’s a look at whom the Vikings could target, focusing on the positions at which they could use help.
Murphy’s season ends with a back injury. The Cardinals signed DL Michael Dogbe and elevated WR Pharoh Cooper and CB Nate Hairston.
The Arizona Cardinals announced some roster moves ahead of their Sunday night matchup at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They ended the season of cornerback Byron Murphy, signed a player to the active roster and elevated two from the practice squad.
Murphy, who missed the last five weeks with a back injury, was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.
To replace him on the 53-man roster, the team signed defensive lineman Michael Dogbe from the practice squad. He will likely get playing time with Zach Allen out with a hand injury.
The Cardinals also used standard elevations from the practice squad for two players. They elevated receiver Pharoh Cooper and cornerback Nate Hairston.
Cornerback Antonio Hamilton is questionable to play with a back injury, so if he is unable to play, the only two healthy cornerbacks on the roster would be Marco Wilson and Christian Matthew. Hairston gives them a third if Hamilton can’t play.
Cooper might be called upon to return punts and kicks. Greg Dortch has a knee injury but is okay to play, but he might only play offense.
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The Cardinals had four players missing practice on Thursday.
The Arizona Cardinals already had begun the week of practice on Wednesday coming off the bye. However, as they play on Monday night, the first injury report of the week did not come out until Thursday.
On the Cardinals’ first report of the week, seven players were listed with four unable to participate.
The details are below.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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