After firing Kliff Kingsbury and parting ways with general manager Steve Keim, the Arizona Cardinals' offseason is off to an interesting start. The team hired Tennessee Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort to replace Keim, and he will help decide who takes over for Kingsbury. Once that happens, Ossenfort’s attention will turn toward Cardinals' free agency. The team has a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and the Cardinals' offseason targets should include several offensive and defensive players. To start, the Cards should raid the teams playing on NFL Championship weekend. That means going after Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman.
DL Javon Hargrave, Philadelphia Eagles
The biggest loss of this offseason for the Cardinals — outside of the Kyler Murray injury – is the retirement of J.J. Watt. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer had 12.5 sacks this season and won’t be easy to replace.
If swinging big is a goal of Cardinals free agency this offseason, the Eagles’ Javon Hargrave is the perfect place to start. Hargrave has played in wildly different defensive systems with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Eagles. However, he’s found success in both.
This season, Hargrave has become one of the best interior pass-rushers in the league, racking up a career-high 11.0 sacks. According to PFF, in the last three seasons, “Hargrave’s 92.2 pass-rush grade trails only Aaron Donald and Chris Jones at the position, with his 18.8% pass-rush win rate also ranking third.”
And while the inside pass rush is why teams covet Javon Hargrave, he has a well-rounded skill set that will help improve any defense. In 2022, the DL had 60 tackles, 16 QB hits, 10 tackles for a loss, two passes defended, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
The versatile defensive lineman will be a perfect fit, no matter what defensive system the new head coach brings in. He may never reach the all-time great levels of Watt, but he should top the list of Cardinals free-agency targets as a pretty perfect replacement.
CB James Bradberry, Philadelphia Eagles
Staying on the defensive side of the ball while identifying Cardinals' offseason targets, Eagles CB James Bradberry should be next on the list.
The Cardinals were awful against the pass in 2022, ranking 24th in the league in passing yards allowed with 3,195. The entire secondary is a mess, which is why they should open free agency with a solid cover man like Bradberry.
James Bradberry will be 30 in August but he is a bit of a late bloomer, to begin with. A second-round pick in 2016, Bradberry was OK with the Panthers and then broke out in 2020, making the Pro Bowl with the New York Giants.
After signing a one-year deal with the Eagles this offseason, Bradberry continued to get better, making second-team All-Pro in 2022. He ended the season with three interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown), 44 tackles, and 17 passes defended. He also held the WRs he covered to a sub-50% catch rate.
This isn’t a home run swing, but it’s a solid double which is what Monti Ossenfort needs to start improving the Cardinals for 2023.
WR Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
All the Cardinals' offseason targets can’t be on the defensive side of the ball. Kyler Murray — whenever he gets back from knee surgery – needs help on offense as well.
The free-agent wide receiver market isn’t all that exciting this offseason. Jakobi Meyers of the New England Patriots, JuJu Smith-Schuster of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Allen Lazard of the Green Bay Packers headline the list.
A.J. Green is a free agent himself this offseason, and DeAndre Hopkins is a potential trade candidate after an unhappy season in the desert. That leaves Marquise Brown and Robbie Anderson — who came to the Cardinals via trades last year— as the lone WRs guaranteed to be on the roster in 2023.
Brown and Anderson have a ton of speed, and adding another speedy wideout in Cardinals free agency could give the team a uniquely fast pass-catching corps.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman was supposed to be the next Tyree Hill, but that hasn’t quite panned out yet. However, he was on his way to what could have been a career year through the season’s first eight games with 25 catches for 297 yards and four touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Hardman has missed the last 10 games due to a pelvic injury. The Cardinals could capitalize on this and get the WRs breakout season next year by signing him in free agency. And at just 24 years old, that's still a real possibility.
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