If it doesn't work once, try again. The Arizona Cardinals, after failing to do so previously, signed veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree on Wednesday. The addition is in the wake of a Kevin White release and Hakeem Butler injury. But, he's far more than an insurance policy for other receivers in the desert.
Once a superstar at Texas Tech in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, Crabtree should find himself in a familiar offense in Arizona. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was once Leach's first star quarterback in Lubbock, then replaced him as head coach. Bringing an eerily similar scheme. Kingsbury figure's Crabtree will “fit right in.”
“I think he’s been a very productive player in this league,” Kingsbury said in Thursday's press conference, via AZCardinals.com. “Very savvy, mentally tough player, plays physical, brings a lot for our young receivers to learn from and be around. We’re excited about him.
I would say he'll [get into the offense] fairly quickly. He's played in a bunch of different offenses. What he ran in college, not a ton, but enough, so he'll pick it up quickly. We'll make sure we manage that and have guys working with him to try to manage that process.
We like what we've seen on tape. Steve [Keim – general manager] feels really good about, talking to other coaches and how he's continuing to get better and we think he adds depth right away. So, we're looking forward to getting him here and getting him out there.”
Though Crabtree may not be the red zone game-breaker he once was, he's remained productive throughout his career. With the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, Crabtree started all 16 games, tallying 54 receptions for 607 yards and three touchdowns in the process. The year before with the Oakland Raiders, he caught 58 passes for 618 yards and eight touchdowns.
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