Should the Cardinals tender their 3 restricted free agents?
The Arizona Cardinals have three players who will be restricted free agents next month — linebackers Dennis Gardeck and Ezekiel Turner and receiver Trent Sherfield.
All three made the team as undrafted rookies in 2018 and have been great special teams players in their first three seasons.
Because they are restricted free agents, the Cardinals can elect to control their destiny with a qualifying tender.
By tendering the players, the players can negotiate with other teams but the Cardinals will have the opportunity to match the offer. Depending on the tender, if the Cardinals elect not to match the offer, they can get draft compensation.
According to Over the Cap estimations, placing a first-round tender will pay the player more than $4.7 million and, if a team tries to sign him and the Cardinals refuse, the team that signs him will have to give up a first-round pick. A second-round tender would pay the player nearly $3.8 million and a team signing him would have to give the Cardinals their second-round pick if they chose not to match the offer.
An original-round tender will pay the player more than $2.1 million and the team would give up a draft pick from the round the player was selected originally. That will not apply to any of these players because they were undrafted free agents when they entered the league.
Should the Cardinals use these tenders on Gardeck, Turner and Sherfield like they did last year with kicker Zane Gonzalez?
Dennis Gardeck
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Gardeck had a special season. Not only was he key on special teams, he made a huge impact on defense. He played the first defensive snaps of his career at outside linebacker, a new position for him in the pros after playing inside linebacker for two seasons, and had seven sacks in only 93 defensive snaps. However, he tore his ACL late in the season and that means he won't likely be able to do much until at least midseason in 2021. That said, because of the upside he also offers as a pass rusher, even with the injury, the Cardinals should bring him back. Should the Cardinals protect his movement? Yes. They should use an original-round tender on Gardeck.
Ezekiel Turner
Turner has been one of the Cardinals' most important special teams players for three seasons. As a rookie, he led the team in special teams tackles and was one of the league leaders. In 2019, his impact was limited by injuries, but he was dynamic again in 2020. He blocked a punt. He caught a pass on a fake punt. He was tied for the team lead with 15 special teams tackles. He even played a few defensive snaps. However, all he did was play special teams. As good as he is, it doesn't make sense to pay a core special teams player $2.1 million when he doesn't offer value on defense. Should the Cardinals re-sign him? Yes. A fourth-year player earns $920,000 as the league minimum. A deal that pays him between $1-1.5 million should be enough to bring him back without risk of his getting signed elsewhere. They should not use tender on Turner.
Trent Sherfield
(AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Sherfield had 10 special teams tackles and also had a pair of fumble recoveries. He is key in punt coverage. Getting some playing time late in the year on offense, he had five receptions for 50 yards. Whether the Cardinals should use a tender on him hinges on the role they see for him on offense. Can you pay a fifth receiver $2.1 million? With cap limitations, it doesn't seem like a good use of resources. Will he garner interest elsewhere? Not for a significant amount. Like Turner, the Cardinals should re-sign him but should lock him down with up to $1.5 million but they should not use a tender. Listen to the latest from Cards Wire's Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify. Latest show:
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