The Arizona Cardinals will bring back one of their starting cornerbacks, at the very least for a day. The Cardinals are meeting with free agent cornerback Jerraud Powers who has been with the franchise for the last three seasons. In that time frame Powers has started in 40 out of 48 games, recorded 170 combined tackles, two sacks, 36 pass defenses, five interceptions and two forced fumbles.
This level of production is fairly steady and has helped take some of the pressure off star defensive back Patrick Peterson. Powers has better production than the Tyvon Branch, the free agent defensive back the Cardinals picked up this offseason. Branch only has six starts in his last three NFL seasons, and at 29 he will likely begin to decline in one or two seasons if he hasn't already.
The Cardinals cannot afford to take any steps backwards as they attempt to get back to the playoffs and have a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Arizona has been waiting for Powers' price to drop, however it appears that his value is completely the same as ot was when free agency began.
The franchise will assess just what went wrong in the playoffs. The Cardinals need quality safety help, and by signing veteran cornerback/safety Branch to a two-year deal, they at least have added some depth at that position. The team's former free agent safety, Rashad Johnson, was pretty ineffective in coverage, and Tyrann Mathieu suffered a season-ending injury late into the Cardinals' campaign.
The Cards could also use a good linebacker as they will let Sean Weatherspoon and Jason Babin likely walk away in free agency. Getting effective pressure on opposing quarterbacks was also a major problem, so expect the Cardinals to use an early draft pick on the defensive line or a pass- rushing linebacker.
Finally, the Cardinals could use a tight end, and there is really only one solid one to take in the 2016 NFL Draft, and that's Hunter Henry from Arkansas. If the Cardinals do come to terms with Powers they will be able to re-establish a dominant secondary and focus on drafting a quality pass rusher during the draft.
