The Arizona Cardinals have barely moved while other NFL teams have been incredibly active during the free agent period. The Cardinals were in a great position to win the Super Bowl last season as they made it farther than most teams, however in the end they could not protect quarterback Carson Palmer, which led to their downfall.
The Cardinals have responded by pouncing on the opportunity to sign the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos' starting center, Evan Mathis. This has been the only significant move the Cardinals have made over the last few weeks, and it appears they would like to take care of some needs along the offensive line before heading to the draft.
The Cardinals signed Mathis to a one-year, $6 million deal. They traded their starting right guard a day before in Jonathan Cooper. He along with a second round pick was traded to the New England Patriots for defensive end Chandler Jones.
The Cardinals still have 11 unsigned free agents roaming around the market and will likely look to replace most of them via the draft. Mathis should fit in nicely with the other veteran offensive linemen on this team, including left tackle Jared Veldheer and left guard Mike Iupati.
Mathis has just come off an amazing season when he finally won a Super Bowl ring. He first spent three seasons (2005-2007) with the Carolina Panthers as they struggled to stay competitive. He didn't start once during his rookie season.
He would eventually join the Miami Dolphins for a season before landing with the Cincinnati Bengals for a stretch that lasted from 2008-2010. Mathis began to start for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2011 season and in that time worked his way into becoming one of the best offensive linemen in football.
Mathis would then sign with the Broncos, and despite battling injuries throughout the 2015 season he managed to start in all of the Broncos' playoff games. Signing with the Cardinals could mean another Super Bowl chance is a realistic opportunity for the veteran lineman.
