How Increased Salary Cap Impacts Cardinals
ARIZONA -- The NFL announced that the salary cap would be raised to an incredible $255.4 million last week, an increase of over $30 million. While the Arizona Cardinals do sit in the top 10 of the NFL as far as cap space is concerned, this increase could be a blessing or a curse for the Birds.
The Cardinals now sit at #8 in total cap space, sitting just under $52 million, per Spotrac. Add in the likely release of veteran LT D.J. Humphries following his ACL tear, and another $9 million makes it a total of just over $61 million.
Now, it will take roughly $11 million to sign their entire rookie class, regardless of who they may pick. That leaves somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million to spend. But what will they spend it on?
The 2024 draft is absolutely stacked with offensive playmakers. Sure, there's some defensive talent as well, but the Cardinals are likely going to look to the WR and OL positions early in the draft.
The defense, however, is where an influx of veteran talent to anchor both the DL and the secondary is most necessary, and with an approximate $10 million extra due to the cap increase, the Cardinals might not be priced out of some of the larger name free agents after all.
The Miami Dolphins are a team to watch with regards to salary cap implications. According to Spotrac, even with the massive increase of salary cap, the Dolphins will sit an estimated $24.6 million over the cap. Some tough decisions will need to be made, and, although they could franchise tag star DL Christian Wilkins, his estimated $22 million/year contract would fall into the realm of possibility for the Cardinals in 2024.
If they do choose to tag Wilkins, the Cardinals could still target a former Dolphin in EDGE rusher Andrew Van Ginkel. Van Ginkel is an underrated player, who would be a much cheaper addition to Arizona's pass rush, and received a stellar 91.1 overall PFF grade in the 2023 season. He is the highest-graded player on PFF's list of free agents, and is projected around $6.5 million per year.
In all honesty, it seems the most likely that general manager Monti Ossenfort, while primed to spend on improvements, might target a handful of smaller, underrated guys to sign rather than going all in on a guy like Wilkins or Ravens DL Justin Madubuike.
Speaking of Madubuike, it feels likely that he will receive the franchise tag, but his estimated $23 million would be in Arizona's price range.
However, to expect the Cardinals to dump half their cap space on one guy does not seem like the smart play we can expect from Ossenfort.
Landing a few veteran guys, mostly in the underrated category alongside Van Ginkel, or similar to the signing of LB Kyzir White ahead of 2023 could be the move, and the added cap space would just increase the amount of holes Ossenfort is able to fill.
Another team to watch on the defensive side of the ball is Gannon's former unit in Philly. The Eagles have three veteran trenchmen in Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett set to hit the free agent market.
Sure, at first glance this might look like a retirement home group, but their estimated $9 million, $3 million and $5 million 2024 salaries could be a worthwhile reunion gamble on guys who have produced effectively and consistently at the EDGE and IDL spots.
The Cardinals will likely look to have a platoon type rotation on the defensive line, and these guys could fit that cheap veteran anchor archetype just fine.
The extra $10 million in cap affords the Cardinals essentially 1-2 more solid free agents. Since there is a potential for Ossenfort to look for the best value signing rather than dumping huge, Keim-esque contracts on big name stars or aging veterans, the Cardinals could end up with a good amount to spend on each hole. Another hole is the cornerback room.
While Gannon has a penchant for making the most out of young defensive backs with little talent, adding a consistent, physical veteran to the corner room could help unlock the potential of young guys like Garrett Williams, Kei'Trel Clark or Starling Thomas V.
Kendall Fuller, Kenny Moore II and Steven Nelson all fit into that category. Respectively projected at $13.3 million a year, $6.75 million and $7.25 million, each of them, along with their flaws, would be a major upgrade at the CB1 spot. All received solid PFF grades for 2023, the highest being Fuller with an 83.1.
The Cardinals will be sitting on around an extra $20 million after the increase and Humphries cut. With a draft full of offense, it would be surprising to see big spending on many offensive free agents. A bigger target on EDGE/DL or CBs in free agency makes the most sense for Arizona.
The other side of this cap increase to consider is the fact that teams with bigger name free agents about to hit the market might decide to recommit to those players. As much as we all want star power and big name players in the Valley, this could help make those smaller, underrated signings available to the Cardinals, and free up a slew of guys who would be instant upgrades on the field.
While their cap space certainly means Arizona would have the ability to sign a big name free agent like Wilkins or Madubuike, expect the added cash to help round out a flight of underrated signings, gradually piecing together the right fits and anchor pieces, with a nod to the stacked 2024 draft class to fully complete the roster on both sides of the ball.
