Should Cardinals Sign Jets LB?

The first three days of free agency frenzy have unfortunately been quiet and quite overwhelming for the Arizona Cardinals. Despite a fat amount of cap space we have yet to see Arizona make significant moves.

The signing of Josh Sweat was what we hoped would be a sign of things to come… Instead, it’s been an outlier.

It’s not as though the front office has been completely inactive, as the Cardinals have made several signings with their most recent being last night with defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.

But again, Arizona needed to make more significant moves to get fans to buy in for next season. As of now, they’ve yet to do that.

There’s still plenty of time, of course, and there are still several free agents on the market who could excite fans. And the newest arrival to the free agency pool is a multi-time All-Pro defender: C.J. Mosley. 

The long time Ravens and Jets linebacker has been amongst the most productive players at his position for 10+ seasons. Mosley has five Pro Bowls and five Second-Team All-Pro nods on his resume. 

It’s been a career that feels overlooked, but he’s been exceptional nearly every season. A classic case of “Hall of Very Good" as opposed to being a true Hall of Fame player.

Mosley‘s time with the Jets has been up and down. His debut season in 2019 was limited to just two games because of injury. He sat out 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His next three seasons were incredibly productive and included a Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro selection.

Last season he played just four games due to injury. Quite the roller coaster for the soon to be 33 year-old defender. 

Prior to his stint with New York, Mosley was a borderline superstar with the ravens and a defense that was great on an annual basis. 

The overall point is Mosley has enjoyed far more success in his career than anything else… But his struggles over the last six years are very noteworthy.

Now a free agent, Mosley will be searching for what is likely his last deal in the pros. Should the Cardinals be in pursuit of the highly decorated linebacker?

We’re still waiting to see what unfolds with Kyzir White as he continues to remain in the free agency pool. White has been more than productive, steady, and important to the Cardinals defense over the last two seasons.

I’m still hoping he somehow returns to the desert for next year (and hopefully beyond that).

Until he’s re-signed, however, there is a hole in the middle of the defense.

We haven’t seen much of an emphasis on having elite linebacker play in this defense in two seasons with Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis. The team has spent minimal money at the position to get good enough production.

Does that need to change or is this simply the sign of the defense?

To be clear, I am very much in favor of rolling with cheaper, veteran linebacker, rather than spending big-time money on someone else. And that’s why I’m all in on White.

It could also be the reason why Mosley is a good fit here.

Comparing their careers beyond statistics, Mosley has been a much better, and well rounded linebacker compared to White. He would be an upgrade in that department.

Of course, Mosley is quite a bit older. As we mentioned earlier, Mosley will be 33 this summer. Meanwhile, White turns 29 at the end of this month. That’s quite a significant age gap for a position that requires you to run all over the field.

There’s also no significant injury history with white the way that there is Mosley.

But moving past that, the date between Mosley and White remains our question: should the Cardinals be in pursuit of Mosley?

My answer is a yes, but I’m not dying to do so. 

For me, mostly feels like a last resort for this team. Even if White isn’t their target, I feel like there’s other linebackers in the pool who would be better targets for the Cardinals. Signing Mosley would come across as settling in my opinion.

This doesn’t mean that Mosley is a bad player; not by any stretch. I simply believe there are more than a handful of guys I would prefer to sign.

Should the Cardinals decide to bring in Mosley, I would not be the least bit opposed. Again, I think that this defense could really use a veteran linebacker, and a guy like Mosley is a perfect plug-and-play solution for that hole.

So to put a bow on this, I’m in the camp of sign linebacker, and if that linebacker is Mosley? So be it. It’s not as exciting as a move as it would’ve been five years ago, but he still a good player, a day one starter, and fills an immediate hole.

Not too bad for bargain bin shopping and even more so when you consider everything that led the desert to be his next destination.