As our benevolent overlord Fooch mentioned a few days ago, most of the major Free Agency moves of the season have been completed. As such, it's high time we look at how each of our upcoming opponents did in acquiring new talent and what sorts of needs they might carry into the draft.
Just like a few weeks ago, we started off by examining the NFC West teams for simplicity's sake, and I thought that this tradition should carry on for the next week or so. Without further ado, let's take a gander at the Arizona Cardinals.
As I wrote a little while back, the big question for the Cardinals is what to do with the passing game. There was some talk about Peyton Manning and such, but at the end of the day, I think the financial investment in Kevin Kolb was too great. I imagine that he is their guy next year.
Besides this, the Cardinals actually had a surprisingly low key offseason. They still have a few guys floating around on the market, currently, but their only major loss was CB Richard Marshall (with a tip o' the hat to Safety Sean Cosindine). To counter this loss, however, Arizona brought in ex-Steelers CB William Gay, who should compete for the starting position opposite that one guy they drafted who isn't as awesome as Aldon Smith. They also were smart and Franchised DE Calais Campbell.
Noteworthy for Niner fans is their acquisition of RG Adam Snyder. While he had a fine 2011 season for the 49ers, this signing should demonstrate where Arizona's greatest area of need is going into the draft: the o-line. By re-signing WR Early Doucet and K Jay Feely, the Cardinals attempted to keep some key offensive (and, I guess, technically special teams) weapons around. By solidifying the line in this upcoming draft, the Cardinals take a few major steps forward in their quest to not lose the division to the 49ers in an altogether embarrassing fashion. (Man! Winning makes us insufferable, doesn't it?).