What Newest Free Agent Signing Brings to Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals signed linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither to a two-year, $11 million deal on Monday, day one of free agency.

This likely signals the end of veteran LB Kyzir White's tenure in Arizona, though he may be an option to return as depth should his market stall.

But Davis-Gaither isn't exactly a name that was high on anyone's lists for the Cardinals to sign when examining options to potentially replace White.

So what does the former Bengal bring to Arizona?

Davis-Gaither is 27 years old with plenty of athleticism. He played in all 17 games in 2024, but only made seven starts over the course of the season. He racked up 82 total tackles (56 solo) and was used sparingly as a pass rusher.

For the most part, he was relied on as a run defender and coverage linebacker. While PFF isn't very generous in their evaluation of him, offering just. 59.0 overall grade, it's possible his versatility and ceiling goes beyond that arbitrary number.

Arizona needed more athleticism, and were likely looking to get younger at the off-ball linebacker position. For only $11 million, it's safe to say they've done so with this signing, but it's hard to put too much of a vote of confidence into a player with limited playing time and relatively poor raw numbers.

Of course, those numbers don't mean everything. Prior to the 2024 season, GM Monti Ossenfort brought in LB Mack Wilson Sr., a name that was similarly unknown across the NFL.

Wilson instantly became an everyday contributor to the Cardinals, and his personality has positively infected Arizona's locker room.

So is it possible that Ossenfort has struck again in finding an unkown LB with a very high ceiling to fit the scheme?

Yes, but Wilson was evaluated much more positively by PFF and other outlets, and was a member of a Patriots defense that (while on the decline) wasn't far removed from being fundamentally sound.

That's not so much the case with the Bengals' defense. Davis-Gaither did begin to excel once given more starting opportunities in 2024, and even managed an interception off Kansas city Chiefs' QB Patrick Mahomes, but it's hard to evaluate just what the 27-year-old could do for this Cardinals team.

The initial numbers don't look promising, but that's been proven false before. Whether or not the Cardinals choose to re-sign White or fellow LB Krys Barnes will reveal just how much faith they have in Davis-Gaither to step into a starting role right away.