TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) – From top to bottom, the Arizona Cardinals’ coaches are evaluating what the biggest needs are to set the team back on track. A list of what they don’t need would be shorter.
You name it, Arizona needs it – quarterback, pass rusher, offensive lineman, wide receiver, inside linebacker. The Cardinals, in their worst season in at least four years, are looking to upgrade at nearly every position, while at the same time deciding whether to try to re-sign wide receiver Steve Breaston and right guard Deuce Lutui. Both become free agents after the season ends over the New Year’s weekend.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said everybody’s performance in the last two games – at home against Dallas on Christmas night, then at San Francisco on Jan. 2 – will be watched closely with an eye toward the future.
“It’s a big part of the evaluation,” Whisenhunt said after practice on Thursday. “It’s a big part of the evaluation in what they do out here on the practice field. I mean, that’s what I told them Monday or Tuesday or whatever day it was: ‘Right now where you are, you’re professionals. Your jobs are all being evaluated. Everybody is.’ They’ve got to understand that. So it is important and hopefully they got that message.”
As of now, Arizona would have the No. 4 pick in the draft. The Cardinals’ staff is known to be studying video of Cam Newton and could be intrigued by the dynamic Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Auburn.
Arizona’s quarterback woes since Kurt Warner’s retirement are well-documented. Matt Leinart was cut, Derek Anderson was inconsistent and benched. Anderson came back to start, only to get knocked out by a concussion. Undrafted rookie Max Hall struggled, to say the least, in three starts, then went down with a season-ending shoulder injury.
That left John Skelton, the 6-foot-6 rookie from Fordham who was Arizona’s fifth-round draft pick. Whisenhunt has liked what he’s seen of Skelton, but conventional wisdom has the Cardinals searching for a veteran quarterback next season – plus they may be drawn to Newton.
But they desperately need a pass rusher. The Cardinals have 26 sacks this season to their opponents’ 43. Joey Porter, on a one-year contract, leads with five, a low figure by his standards.
Porter and fellow outside linebacker Clark Haggans don’t figure to be back next season. The only real promising youngster at the position is rookie O’Brien Schofield, who could start Saturday night because Porter has a triceps injury. Schofield, Arizona’s fourth-round draft pick, did not play until halfway through the season after blowing out a knee practicing for the Senior Bowl.
Draft picks from this year are playing all over the field. First-rounder Dan Williams has steadily improved at nose tackle. Second-round pick Daryl Washington has started at inside linebacker all season. Third-round selection Andre Roberts has played well at wide receiver and punt returner after a slow start. Seventh-round pick Jim Dray has been a pleasant surprise at tight end and special teams. He’s played in every game and started twice.
But they are young and make mistakes.
The offensive line needs help with left guard Alan Faneca considering retirement and right guard Lutui a free agent.
Wide receiver is no longer an area of abundance for Arizona. Breaston is a free agent and Early Doucet has been plagued by injuries in each of his three pro seasons. Then there’s the uncertainty surrounding Larry Fitzgerald, who has a year left on a contract that includes a no-trade clause and a clause that prohibits the Cardinals from making him a franchise player. He could be gone after next year.
At inside linebacker, Arizona has sorely missed Karlos Dansby, who left to sign a lucrative deal with Miami. Paris Lenin has had a journeyman season. Washington is extremely fast but a bit undersized for the position.
Trading down in the draft to get a veteran quarterback is a possibility.
So, unlike previous years, the Arizona offseason will be anything but quiet.
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