The Cardinals have signed 31-year old TE Anthony Becht to a 1-year deal.  Becht played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he caught 6 passes for 39 yards (6.5 avg).  Becht has now played in 142 games in his NFL career and he has caught 178 passes for 1,450 yards (8.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Cardinals as the TE position is wide open for the 2009 season.

The Cardinals have signed 28-year old DT Rodney Leisle to a 1-year deal.  He hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2006 season with the Saints.  Leisle has played in 16 games in his NFL career and he has made 17 tackles.  He does have the size (6’3″, 315 pounds) that the Cardinals covet so he might have a chance to make the team in 2009.

The Cardinals have signed 26-year running back Jason Wright to a 2-year, $2 million dollar contract.  Wright played in 15 games with the Browns last season and he carried the ball 23 times for 85 yards (3.7 ypc).  He also caught 22 passes for 156 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Wright has now played in 49 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 159 times for 588 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 55 passes for 486 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Wright will be taking J.J. Arrington’s place at the #3 running back on the Cardinals in 2009 but he doesn’t have a lot of upside.

The Arizona Cardinals have signed 32-year old long snapper Mike Leach.  Leach will replace Nathan Hodel who disappointed head coach Ken Whisenhunt with his kick coverage.  Leach played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Broncos last season.  He has now played in 123 games (0 starts) in his 9-year NFL career.  This was a nice upgrade for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have signed 27-year old cornerback Bryant McFadden to a 2-year, $10 million dollar contact.  McFadden played in 10 games for the Steelers last season and he made 41 tackles, defensed 8 passes, had 1 sack and he picked off two passes.  McFadden will move right into the starting lineup for the Cardinals and he should be a huge improvement.  He has now played in 51 games in his 4-year NFL career and he has made 135 tackles, defensed 32 passes, had 2 sacks, 7 interceptions (one he returned for a TD) and he also forced 1 fumble.  This was a great move for the Cardinals who need help on pass defense.

The Cardinals got two impact players in last April’s draft in cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and running back Tim Hightower.  Cromartie was the 16th pick of the first round by the Cardinals and he played in all 16 games (11 starts) as a rookie.  Cromartie made 42 tackles, defensed a amazing 19 passes and he intercepted 4 passes (returning one of them for a TD).  The sky is the limit for Cromartie as he will only get better.  Tim Hightower was selected in the 5th round (149th pick) by the Cardinals.  He stepped up and actually replace Edgerrin James as the starting tailback for a while.  He played in all 16 games (7 starts) for the Cards last season and he carried the ball 143 times for 399 yards (2.8 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He also caught 34 passes for 237 yards (7.0 avg) and made a tackle.  Hightower’s yards per carry will go up in the future as he was the goal line/short yardage back early last season for the Cardinals.  He was a steal in the 5th round.  2nd rounder Calais Campbell was supposed to help with the pass rush as a rookie but he disappointed.  He played in all 16 games (0 starts) as a rookie last year and he made 28 tackles, forced a fumble and defensed 1 pass.  He also returned two kickoffs for 16 yards (8.0 avg) last season.  The Cardinals need improvement out of him in 2009 or he will have trouble getting on the field.  3rd rounder (81st pick) Early Doucet was buried on the depth chart so he didn’t get to show much as a rookie.  He played in 7 games for the Cards last season and he caught 14 passes for 90 yards (6.4 avg) and he also made a tackle.  If Anquan Boldin is moved in the off season than the Cards will need Doucet to step his game up.   4th round pick Kenny Iwebema (DE) played in 13 games (0 starts) last season and he only made 3 tackles.  7th rounder Brandon Keith didn’t play at all last season but the team thought enough of him to keep him around.  That’s more than what can be said about 6th rounder Chris Harrington (DE) who was signed away from the practice squad by the Bengals.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

The Cardinals have signed 27-year old safety Keith Lewis.  Lewis played in all 16 games for the 49ers last season and he made 19 tackles, defensed 1 pass and forced a fumble.  He has now played in 76 games in his NFL career and he has made 155 tackles, defensed 8 passes, has 1 sack, forced 4 fumbles and he has intercepted 3 passes.  This was a good signing for the Cardinals as Lewis should provide depth on defense and special teams.

The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed 37-year old Kurt Warner to a 2-year, $23 million dollar contract.  He definately earned this contract after leading the Cardinals to the Super Bowl and almost winning it.  Warner played in 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he completed 401 of 598 passes (67.1%) for 4,583 yards with 30 TD passes and 14 interceptions (96.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 18 times for -2 yards (-0.1 ypc) last season.  Warner has now played 4 years with the Cardinals appearing in 46 games in which he has completed 1,032 of 1,592 passes (64.8%) for 12,090 yards with 74 TD passes and 45 interceptions.  He also has carried the ball 61 times for 44 yards (0.7 ypc) with the Cardinals and scored 1 TD.  If Kurt Warner has another good season it will likely ensure that he enters the NFL Hall of Fame 5 years after he retires.  Warner has now played in 109 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,327 of 3,557 (65.4%) passes for 28,591 yards with 182 TD passes and 114 interceptions (93.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 152 times for 276 yards (1.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  This was a great move for the Cardinals to prove to their fans that they are serious about winning.