Assessing Cardinals’ Day 1 Moves of Free Agency

Cardinals’ signings might be better than some folks realize

While all eyes early on were on the Eagles’ DT Milton Williams as a potential big name signing for the Arizona Cardinals, the fact that the Patriots signed Willimas to a $26M a year contract, may be a blessing in disguise. How often do NFL fans see a young defensive lineman with fewer than 20 starts and 14 sacks in 4 years, land a mammoth contract of this nature? Plus, because of Williams’ struggles versus the run, there still is the question of whether he is a bona fide every down player.

The truth is —- Milton Williams’ 4-year $140M contract with $63M guaranteed is based purely on potential.

Here is another curious truth:

Instead of Milton Williams, the Cardinals turned their attention to Josh Sweat who, in light of his 2 ¹⁄₂ sacks of Patrick Mahomes, made a compelling case for Super Bowl LIX MVP.

Heading into the first day of legal tampering, I was convinced that Josh Sweat was going to be scooped up by the Commanders or Patriots. Yet, the Cardinals not only were able to seal the deal with Sweat, they signed him to a very reasonable contract for an edge rusher who is considered very good, but not quite elite…that is, just yet.

The symbolic significance of the Sweat signing is how it changes two very important perceptions:

1. That Jonathan Gannon had not yet been able to attract one of his high-profile former players on the Eagles —- well, now that box has been checked.
2. A splash signing like this one of a high-profile player such as Josh Sweat is an indication that the Cardinals are now serious about playing to win. Other free agents are apt to take notice. As will the national pundits and prognosticators.
3. 3. As someone very clever said on social media: “Sweat in the desert, how fitting.”

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Per ESPN’s Seth Walder:

Cardinals to sign Edge Josh Sweat

The deal: Four years, $76.4 million ($41 million guaranteed)

Grade: B

The Cardinals entered the offseason with a massive need for an edge rusher who can get after the quarterback and plenty of cap space to work with. Sweat was the best available at the position, so this was always a potential match.

Sweat is coming off what was, in some ways, a down season for him. From 2021 to 2023, Sweat recorded a well-above-average 21% pass rush win rate at edge and recorded 27.5 sacks in that span, postseason included. In 2024, his win rate at edge dropped to 11%, though he had 10.5 sacks, including the postseason.

He had a huge Super Bowl (2.5 sacks) and could have been the Super Bowl MVP. And part of what he showed in the Super Bowl — pushing the pocket to put Patrick Mahomes under duress (as opposed to going around a blocker) — doesn’t always show up perfectly in the win rates. Sweat’s pass rush get-off (time to cross the line of scrimmage) was much slower this season, slowing from 0.73 seconds in 2023 to 0.85 seconds, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That might not sound like a big change, but it is.

Because of the numbers above, I was prepared to be somewhat critical of a Sweat signing. But the edge market has been much cheaper than I anticipated, and this isn’t that much money when we compare it to past deals. After adjusting for cap inflation, Smith’s $19.1 million APY value is roughly equivalent to Frank Clark’s deal with the Chiefs in 2022 or Romeo Okwara’s contract with the Lions in 2021. That seems fine, and there’s some upside for the Cardinals. If he goes back to winning at the level he did prior to 2024 — or keeps playing like he did in the Super Bowl — then this signing is a bargain.

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Seth Walder’s grades for the other multi-year deals given to defensive linemen:

• Milton Williams, Patriots (4/$104M) —- C
• Chase Young, Saints (3/$51M) —- D
• Tershawn Wharton, Panthers (3/$54M) —- C
• Grady Jarrett, Bears (3/$43.5M) —- D
• Javon Kinlaw, Commanders (3/$45M) —- C-
• B.J. Hill, Bengals (3/$33M) —- C+

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The Cardinals’ decisions to re-sign LB Baron Browning, LS Aaron Brewer, S Joey Blount and G Evan Brown were astute, in my opinion, as each of these players was, in his own way, a valuable contributor to the team’s success in 2024. Browning garnered the most money at $7M a year because he brings the highest degree of versatility. Brewer and Blount are two of the team’s star players on special teams. And Brown is an iron man, literally and figuratively, whose best football may still be ahead of him while playing in an offense that suits his abilities to a tee.

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Then came the most surprising signing of the day for the Cardinals in linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither:

Eureka, the Cardinals clearly were on a mission to sign defensive players who either sacked Patrick Mahomes or intercepted Patrick Mahomes!

Kudos to Monti Ossenfort and Dave Sears for pulling this rabbit out of the hat, given that they had no previous connections with ADG, save for likely scouting him 5 years ago at the Senior Bowl.

Actually, come to think of it, MODS may have also picked up on how brilliant ADG is on special teams last year when they were scouting the Bengals’ special teams’ ace Markus Bailey. In 2022 ADG amassed 10 STs tackles plus 4 assists for an elite PFF grade of 88.5. His 78.3 grade on STs this past season was 2nd best on the Bengals for players logging 100+ snaps.

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I can vividly remember my excitement five years ago in watching ADG’s highlight video at Appalachian St.

I had a Day 2 grade on ADG and had been mocking him to the Cardinals in Round 3.

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From Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ website as ADG was prepping for his first NFL start:

The Rise of Bengals LB Akeem Davis-Gaither And Coach Dad

What they see is that ADG is not just a space guy that runs around with 4.4 40-yard dash speed. He can not only dish on the platter, but he can dish it out in the box.

The Bengals found out almost immediately when they coached the South at the 2020 Senior Bowl. Not only did they put him in the box, they made him the signal-caller (“the second practice, I think,” ADG says) and then spent the next three months hoping like hell he’d be there with the first pick in the fourth round.

“Loved him. Loved him,” says Bengals senior defensive assistant Mark Duffner, who loved him even watching the tape prepping for the Senior Bowl. “Athletic. He was in the meetings and on top of it. Paying attention. Exact. Athletic. Fast. He could move positions. Athletic.”

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Chances are had the Bengals not drafted ILB Logan Wilson one round ahead of Akeem Davis-Gaither, he might have been their starter as a rookie. Interestingly, this season when Logan Wilson was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 12, the Bengals turned to ADG, who after a rough first outing versus the Steelers, started to dig in and play solid 3-down football and helped the Bengals to sweep their last 5 games. Thus, as the starting ILB in 2024, ADG helped the team to a 5-1 record, while leading the team in tackles during that 6-game span with 58, plus one forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

What ADG has is the size, instincts and speed to be a very good NFL ILB. What he lacks is experience. His 4.4 speed is most likely one of the main reasons why the Cardinals believe he can immediately improve their pass coverage from the ILB position, where both Kyzir White and Mack Wilson Jr. struggled in 2024. JG and Nick Rallis love to play a mixture of zone and man coverages. What ADG gives them is a linebacker who has the size and speed to be very effective in their zones and the speed to cover RBs and TEs in man coverage.

I believe that Owen Pappoe and Akeem Davis-Gaither could make one of the fastest pass coverage ILB tandems in the NFL.

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I am enthused by what the Cardinals accomplished in Day 1.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After some good early signings, there is a lot more work to do for the Cardinals.

Your thoughts and emotions?