Cardinals: 3 cap casualties that could alter 2021 NFL Draft plans
By Darral Nail
It was a tale of two seasons for the 2020 Arizona Cardinals, or at least two halves of a season.
Coach Kliff Kinsbury’s team entered week 8 of the season with a record of 5-2, and fresh off a thrilling overtime victory over the then-division leading Seattle Seahawks.
Though the promising start had long-suffering Cardinals faithful setting their sights on a return to the postseason, the team’s performance on the other side of their mid-season bye week ensured that they would once again find themselves on the outside looking in once the NFC postseason was underway.
With Kingsbury and General Manager Steve Keim’s trajectory in Arizona dangling somewhere between the exciting development of young stars and the disappointment of missed opportunities, it is reasonable to assume that the upcoming season will be a momentous one for the career prospects of both men.
Looking at Cardinals cap situation
With that in mind, the approach to roster management and talent acquisition that the team employs over the next few months should be of keen interest to those who follow the club.
Though the team’s 2021 salary cap situation is far from dire, with $17.5 million of daylight between its current number and the upper limits of the projected cap, they will nonetheless need to whittle away at the handful of existing contracts that would limit their ability to add needed talent in the upcoming free agency proceedings.
We will take a look at 3 veterans with whom the Cardinals could choose to part in order to be serious buyers when the curtain drops on March 17th’s legal tampering period, and how such an approach might impact their plans for the 2021 NFL draft.