The Arizona Cardinals' free agent needs in the 2023 NFL offseason include upgrades along both lines, getting more weapons for Kyler Murray, and probably even finding a short-term replacement for Murray and Colt McCoy if injuries prevent them from starting the season. However, the franchise lost a legend at the end of the season, so replacing J.J. Watt in some capacity is a top goal on the NFL free-agent market. And the best player to do that with is Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Javon Hargrave.

Why Javon Hargrave is the best Cardinals free agent signing this NFL offseason

J.J. Watt is a no-question first-ballot Hall of Famer. And despite struggling with injuries in his last few seasons, Watt ended his career strong. Last season, he finished with 18 tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks.

That’s production that the Cardinals will have to replace in this NFL offseason.

The team will have a chance to get back some of that the in draft. With the No. 3 pick and two quarterbacks likely going before they select a player, the team will be able to get the best defensive player on the board.

With the recent Jalen Carter legal issues, Arizona should take Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3. That helps with the outside pass rush but still leaves the need for a pocket-pushing defensive tackle. That’s where the team will look to NFL free agents.

After Washington Commanders DT Daron Payne signed a long-term extension to stay with his team, the best interior defensive lineman on the market becomes the Eagles’ Javon Hargrave.

Hargrave is a 30-year-old seven-year veteran who’s played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Eagles. At 6-foot-2, 305 pounds the defensive lineman can play multiple positions along the line. He can play on the nose, as he did with the Steelers, as a 3-technique DT, as he did with the Eagles, or as a 3-4 defensive end after his career year in 2022 with 12.5 sacks.

That last position is likely what the Cardinals would have him play as a direct replacement for Watt.

This is why Javon Hargrave is one of the most valuable NFL free agents on the market right now. He gives defenses flexibility with his ability to play multiple positions. And as pressure up the middle becomes more important in the NFL game, Hargrave will be even more in demand.

To bring the defensive lineman to the desert is not going to be cheap. Spotrac estimates Hargrave has a market value of $20.1 million per season after his incredible year in 2022. While that is a big price to pay, it is also a price that the Cardinals can afford right now.

Heading into the NFL free agent tampering period, the Cardinals have $35,187,631 in cap space, the fifth-best number in the league. So taking up a little less than half that room (Hargrave’s cap hit won’t be $20M in the first year) is doable.

A lot of time and energy goes into discussions of the Cardinals offense, and rightly so. If Kyler Murray can’t live up to his massive deal, the team will never become Super Bowl contenders. However, in 2022, the defense was actually the much bigger issue.

Arizona had the 21st-ranked scoring offense last season. That’s not good at all, but there were some extenuating circumstances such as Murray’s injury and DeAndre Hopkins’ early-season suspension. The defense finished the year ranked 30th, and there are a lot fewer reasons other than the fact they were not that talented on that side of the ball.

The point is the Cardinals' free agents strategy in the 2023 NFL offseason has to focus more on the defensive side than the offensive. And Javon Hargrave is a great start.

In addition to being a solid replacement for J.J. Watt and adding (hopefully) double-digit sacks to a team that finished 23rd in that category last season, this Cardinals free-agent target also brings leadership and experience to the table.

Hargrave showed up in Philly in 2020 and was part of a 4-11-1 season. The next year the team went 9-8, and in 2022, they made the Super Bowl. This is the type of trajectory the Cardinals would like to go on, and Hargrave can help lead the way.

Most of the media surrounding the Cardinals will spend a lot of time dreaming up ways to fix the offense to get the most out of Kyler Murray. In the end, though, to build the best team that is capable of contending for real, new general manager Monti Ossenfort has to concentrate on building a defense that will make life easier for his QB, and that starts with Javon Hargrave.