NFL free agency is off and running, and we’re keeping track of every major signing, trade and release of the 2021 offseason, with analysis from our NFL Nation reporters and grades from our experts. The new league year begins March 17 at 4 p.m. ET, which means free-agent signings can be made official after that. The first round of the 2021 NFL draft begins April 29 on ESPN.
The Cardinals’ finished 8-8 after starting 5-2 in 2020 and could look vastly different when they take the field in 2021. Arizona began the new league year with 28 free agents and even though general manager Steve Keim has said he’d like “a number” of them to return, there’s a good chance that the Cardinals could see a major overhaul of their roster in coach Kliff Kingsbury’ third season.
How the Cardinals fill out their roster could be the difference between the playoffs and another January at home, which could mean the end of Kingsbury’s tenure in Arizona.
Here’s a breakdown of every 2021 NFL free-agent signing by the Arizona Cardinals, and how each will impact the upcoming season:
Watt, who has 101 career sacks, reached a deal with the Cardinals before free agency began in full swing.
What it means: The Cardinals were the unexpected winners of the J.J. Watt sweepstakes, giving them one of the best pass-rushers in the game. The 31-year-old Watt is a future Hall of Famer who will give the Cardinals a top-tier complement in the pass-rushing game across from Chandler Jones. Watt gave the Cardinals’ defense more name credibility and gave the locker room a veteran presence who can lead both by example as well as verbally, both of which Arizona could need desperately depending on how free agency plays out.
What’s the risk: Watt has a lengthy injury history. He’s played 16 games in a season just twice since 2015. But in one of those years, 2018, he had 16 sacks. When Watt is healthy, he’s elite. But it’s a matter of him staying healthy. Fortunately for the Cardinals, he’s coming off a 16-game season but had just five sacks. Arizona, to some degree, doesn’t know which Watt they’re going to get. The one who’s consistently healthy? The one who can put up double-digit sacks? Or the one who gets hurt?
The Cardinals have agreed to a two-year contract with Golden, the team announced.
What it means: Golden provides the Cardinals with a solid back up for both J.J. Watt and Chandler Jones and will be part of the Cardinals outside linebacker rotation instead of waiting to spell one of the starters. He’s had 4.5 sacks last season between his time in Arizona and the New York Giants, who the Cardinals traded with for him. But Golden is two years removed from a 10-sack season and he hasn’t lost a step. He just needs the opportunities to get to the quarterback. While he may not get as many of those behind Jones and Watt as he would’ve as the starter elsewhere, he gives the Cardinals one of the most formidable pass-rushing units in the league.
What’s the risk: There’s very minimal risk to re-signing Golden. He has the type of personality that can handle not being the main guy. And he’s the type of player who’ll fill-in where’s and do what’s needed. The upside, however, is that if either Jones or Watt gets hurt, Golden is a starting-level type of pass-rusher who could step in when needed