29-year old WR Anquan Boldin is on the trading block for the Cardinals.  He played in 15 games last season for the Cardinals and he caught 84 passes for 1,024 yards (12.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Boldin also carried the ball 3 times for 12 yards (4.0 ypc) last season.  Boldin has now played in 95 games in his career with the Cardinals in which he has caught 586 passes for 7,520 yards (12.8 avg) with 44 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 36 times for 209 yards (5.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The reason that the Cardinals are willing to trade Boldin is because they are going to run the ball more in 2010 and they already have his replacement (Steve Breaston) on the roster.  Teams like the Dolphins and Browns are two teams that will likely be offering the Cardinals a deal for Boldin.

With Matt Leinart the likely QB for the 2010 season look for the Cardinals to run the ball more in 2010.  Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower are a pretty good combo at RB so it just makes sense for the Cardinals to run a more balanced offense in 2010.  Wells carried the ball 176 times for 793 yards (4.5 ypc) with 7 TD runs last season.  He has some work to do as a receiver out of the backfield as he only caught 12 passes last season but they went for 143 yards (11.9 avg) so the potential is there for improvement.  Tim Hightower carried the ball 143 times for 598 yards (4.2 ypc) with 8 TD runs last season.  He is a good receiver out of the backfield too as he caught 63 passes for 428 yards (6.8 avg) last season.  The best way to protect a unproven QB is with the running game and I’m quite certain that the Cardinals will average over 100 yards rushing per game in 2010.

Former Georgia standout Leonard Pope was among those cut for the Cardinals to reach the maximum 53 man roster. Pope was probably the biggest name cut and it’s disappointing. The 2006 third round pick was a great college player for the Bulldogs, with his great combination of size and athleticism. Unfortunately, he never did catch on to the NFL game, like many college standouts. It will be surprising if he doesn’t find a spot on some roster. Players with his athleticism, and at his age, will always be given a chance.

Some of the other notable cuts include safety Aaron Francisco, one of last season’s special teams captains; linebacker Victor Hobson, who is a former starter for the New York Jets; and center Melvin Fowler, who has been a starter for the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and Buffalo Bills.