1 – Keep Brissett. Top five backup QB on a reasonable contract, who will not embarrass you if he needs to start some games, and is an ideal partner for whoever is the primary starter. He is worth much more than a late-round pick, if that is all you can get.
2 – For several years it was shocking to me that many fans still thought that the salary cap has any importance at all. Now I just smile at it.
3 – The biggest issue with guesses and wishes like this is that we don’t know the schemes, so it is very difficult to know which type of players they are seeking. I mean, the offensive schemes will probably have shades of the Rams’ and Niners’, but likely there will be adjustments. And Rallis might run some of the same as the last couple of seasons, but I doubt he will copy Gannon 1:1.
4 – I guess it is some form of PTSD from many years ago, but it is very strange how many fans still point to Bidwill being cheap. He is obviously not (proven last time by the guaranteed money in signings of Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson), but it’s just that his organization is not really attractive to many players.
5 – Jermaine Eluemunor or Braden Smith at right tackle and David Edwards or Ed Ingram at guard should certainly be targets.
6 – I think that LaFleur wants Jimmy Garoppolo. If so, I certainly hope that he gets him, even though he is not my preferred option.
7 – I hope they gamble with the QB-spot, and I hope they do it by signing Malik Willis. I hope they sign him to a contract similar to Sam Darnold’s (multiple years, but almost all guarantees up-front to essentially make it a one-year deal). I could not care any less about how much salary he gets – see thought #2 – as long as the structure of the contract doesn’t prevent them from reacting to it after the season.
It is – at best – a lack of historical knowledge to be convinced that the QB market next year will be better than this, so I would much rather give it a real shot than give up on the season in March and risk being in the exact same position in a year from now. Signing Willis would be full-blown boom-or-bust, but if it booms, the Cardinals are suddenly very relevant in the division again. And if it fails, well, then things will pretty much be like they are now, so there is not much to lose.
Further, LaFleur has the best possible intel (and as much as he wants) from his brother and Hackett, who worked with Willis last year, as well as from Ossenfort, who drafted Willis. There is nobody in the entire NFL that is better equipped to decide if Willis is worth taking a chance on. And because of that it is unfathomable to me that some fans want to handcuff LaFleur from the beginning by hoping that they don’t sign Willis. If LaFleur wants him, everyone should hope that he gets him. I don’t understand why people wish that the Cards hired LaFleur to fix the offense and then tell him how to do it.
8 – I thought they would have bought Greg Newsome at the trade deadline, but maybe Jacksonville just gave a better offer. Well, now he is a free agent and the Cardinals’ CB situation has not improved.
9 – Re-sign Gillikin, Brewer, Ryland, Hernandez, Collier, Carter, and Starling Thomas. If Calais Campbell wants to play, he should decide his own contract, Fitz-style.
10 – Just like Malik Willis has an obvious connection to LaFleur through his brother and Hackett, so does Packers-starters OT Rasheed Walker and OG Sean Rhyan. None of them are amazing players, but talent-wise they are still in an entirely different stratosphere than Evan Brown and Jonah Williams.
11 – Philosophically I am against spending big at RB. However, since the quarterback quality will be a question mark, an effective running game is paramount. Travis Etienne, Kenneth Gainwell and Rachaad White are very different players, but all would be a good fit in different roles with McVay, so I am guessing they would also be fine with LaFleur.
12 – Cuts are obviously very difficult to project, but I have found three relevant, based on team insiders’ reports and educated guesses. Both S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Miami) and MLB Tremaine Edmunds (Chicago) have been granted permission to seek a trade, which usually means that they will get released if no buyer is found. OG Elgton Jenkins (Green Bay) was injured most of last season but has been a very good and stable starter for years. All three would be clear upgrades over Jalen Thompson, Davis-Gaither and Evan Brown.
13 – I was on record at the trade deadline that I wanted them to trade for Rashid Shaheed. I would be surprised if Seahawks let him go, but if they do, the Cards should be in on him.
14 – You have to think that Leo Chenal will be a target considering that they just hired Kansas City’s linebacker coach, as well as how badly Davis-Gaither sucked last season.
15 – Alijah Vera-Tucker is the most talented offensive guard on the market, but the problem is that he is never on the field. He would be the definition of a boom-or-bust signing. LaFleur was in New York when they drafted Vera-Tucker.
2 – For several years it was shocking to me that many fans still thought that the salary cap has any importance at all. Now I just smile at it.
3 – The biggest issue with guesses and wishes like this is that we don’t know the schemes, so it is very difficult to know which type of players they are seeking. I mean, the offensive schemes will probably have shades of the Rams’ and Niners’, but likely there will be adjustments. And Rallis might run some of the same as the last couple of seasons, but I doubt he will copy Gannon 1:1.
4 – I guess it is some form of PTSD from many years ago, but it is very strange how many fans still point to Bidwill being cheap. He is obviously not (proven last time by the guaranteed money in signings of Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson), but it’s just that his organization is not really attractive to many players.
5 – Jermaine Eluemunor or Braden Smith at right tackle and David Edwards or Ed Ingram at guard should certainly be targets.
6 – I think that LaFleur wants Jimmy Garoppolo. If so, I certainly hope that he gets him, even though he is not my preferred option.
7 – I hope they gamble with the QB-spot, and I hope they do it by signing Malik Willis. I hope they sign him to a contract similar to Sam Darnold’s (multiple years, but almost all guarantees up-front to essentially make it a one-year deal). I could not care any less about how much salary he gets – see thought #2 – as long as the structure of the contract doesn’t prevent them from reacting to it after the season.
It is – at best – a lack of historical knowledge to be convinced that the QB market next year will be better than this, so I would much rather give it a real shot than give up on the season in March and risk being in the exact same position in a year from now. Signing Willis would be full-blown boom-or-bust, but if it booms, the Cardinals are suddenly very relevant in the division again. And if it fails, well, then things will pretty much be like they are now, so there is not much to lose.
Further, LaFleur has the best possible intel (and as much as he wants) from his brother and Hackett, who worked with Willis last year, as well as from Ossenfort, who drafted Willis. There is nobody in the entire NFL that is better equipped to decide if Willis is worth taking a chance on. And because of that it is unfathomable to me that some fans want to handcuff LaFleur from the beginning by hoping that they don’t sign Willis. If LaFleur wants him, everyone should hope that he gets him. I don’t understand why people wish that the Cards hired LaFleur to fix the offense and then tell him how to do it.
8 – I thought they would have bought Greg Newsome at the trade deadline, but maybe Jacksonville just gave a better offer. Well, now he is a free agent and the Cardinals’ CB situation has not improved.
9 – Re-sign Gillikin, Brewer, Ryland, Hernandez, Collier, Carter, and Starling Thomas. If Calais Campbell wants to play, he should decide his own contract, Fitz-style.
10 – Just like Malik Willis has an obvious connection to LaFleur through his brother and Hackett, so does Packers-starters OT Rasheed Walker and OG Sean Rhyan. None of them are amazing players, but talent-wise they are still in an entirely different stratosphere than Evan Brown and Jonah Williams.
11 – Philosophically I am against spending big at RB. However, since the quarterback quality will be a question mark, an effective running game is paramount. Travis Etienne, Kenneth Gainwell and Rachaad White are very different players, but all would be a good fit in different roles with McVay, so I am guessing they would also be fine with LaFleur.
12 – Cuts are obviously very difficult to project, but I have found three relevant, based on team insiders’ reports and educated guesses. Both S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Miami) and MLB Tremaine Edmunds (Chicago) have been granted permission to seek a trade, which usually means that they will get released if no buyer is found. OG Elgton Jenkins (Green Bay) was injured most of last season but has been a very good and stable starter for years. All three would be clear upgrades over Jalen Thompson, Davis-Gaither and Evan Brown.
13 – I was on record at the trade deadline that I wanted them to trade for Rashid Shaheed. I would be surprised if Seahawks let him go, but if they do, the Cards should be in on him.
14 – You have to think that Leo Chenal will be a target considering that they just hired Kansas City’s linebacker coach, as well as how badly Davis-Gaither sucked last season.
15 – Alijah Vera-Tucker is the most talented offensive guard on the market, but the problem is that he is never on the field. He would be the definition of a boom-or-bust signing. LaFleur was in New York when they drafted Vera-Tucker.
