serious question:
is it considered tanking if you decide you would rather save, lets say, 5 roster spots for UDFA or late round picks vs. NFL vets with 3-6 years experience making the league minimum ---
under the theory that you might find 1 or 2 players in the former group that will be part of the team in 2024 and 2025 vs. the latter group that are typically one season and done: but at the cost of having a less win ready roster in 2023.
The last five roster spots are usually in constant churn on every team in the NFL, regardless of their current interests in winning football games. There are 90 players that come to camp; 52 make the final roster. If the Cards are more interested in keeping UDFA Daniel Arias over Andre Baccellia, no one will care.
The tank is really exemplified by:
1) Letting both Byron Murphy and Zach Allen leave and replacing them with a third-round pick who played seven games for Syracuse and cap flexibility, respectively.
2) Releasing your All Pro wide receiver and replacing him with a second-round pick from Stanford who played six games last season and 14 in the past three seasons(!!!!!!!!). His breakout season occurred before anyone knew what COVID 19 was.
3) Deciding that you don't need a center with more than a handful of games starting experience in camp.
4) Looking at your depth chart and deciding you're very fine having Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence as your likely starters at DT.
5) Having less than $41 million in guaranteed salary on the books in 2024.