Arizona

Cardinals

The deal includes $11.25 million in guaranteed money. The former first-round pick has yet to fully live up to his No. 16 overall selection, with the timing of the extension hinting more at necessity than a true fit schematically. Arizona previously declined his fifth-year option but chose to extend him for two years the day after BJ Ojulari suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury. Either way, look for Collins to see his snap rate increase dramatically off the edge.

Ojulari was expected to take a second-year leap with the Cards after totaling four sacks and five TFLs as a rookie last season. The 2023 second-round pick reportedly suffered his injury during Friday’s training camp practice and was confirmed out for the season shortly after. Rookie Darius Robinson, who the team selected with the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s draft, will likely be tasked with filling a bigger role in Ojulari’s absence.

A buzzed-about rookie third-rounder last season, Wilson was limited to 13 games by injury but still managed to flash for 38/565/3 in the Cardinals’ compromised offense. At 6-foot-2, he’s a natural outside complement to first-round rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. Wilson nailing down work on the outside would leave Jones and Greg Dortch fighting for primary slot duties.

Drake made the announcement via a photo collage Instagram post, saying “he wouldn’t change a thing” about his time in the NFL. He finishes his career with 5,521 yards from scrimmage and 41 total touchdowns.

Benson’s signing comes just days before the Cardinals report to training camp. The former Florida State Seminole blazed a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine earlier this offseason and has a versatile skillset that we’ve come to expect from a three-down back. For now, Benson will serve as the RB2 behind veteran James Conner. However, he remains a solid fantasy stash who could prove to have some stand-alone value in PPR leagues if he sees enough work in the passing game. He would profile as a high-end RB2 if Conner were to miss time at any point in the season.

The Arizona coaching staff, Venerable said, “loves” Conner and his tough running and veteran leadership. “The best version of this offense last year ran through [Conner],” Venerable said during an interview with Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter. “James Conner is one of their best players.” Venerable suggested Michael Carter could mix in behind Conner, rather than rookie RB Trey Benson functioning as the clear RB2. Benson, the 66th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is considered an explosive back, though he never had more than 20 rushing attempts in a single game during his college career. We would expect Benson to be the Cardinals’ lead back should the 29-year-old Conner once again miss time with injury in 2024.

The Cardinals selected Robinson with the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s draft in hopes of bolstering their defensive front. Robinson exploded for 14 TFLs and 8.5 sacks in his final season at Missouri and was named First-team All-SEC for his efforts. He has a chance help improve a defensive unit that allowed the second-most points per game and the eighth most yards per game in 2023.

Harrison’s four-year deal is reportedly worth $35.3 million total, $22.5 million guaranteed and features a fifth-year option, per Spotrac. Harrison is the first of the top four players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft to sign a rookie contract. Underdog Fantasy drafters are selecting Harrison with a 2.03, WR9 ADP. He is expected to command a significant target share in the Cardinals’ passing offense.

Playing on the right side will be veteran Jonah Williams, who joined the Cardinals this offseason after four seasons with the Bengals. Williams, who has experience at left tackle, played right tackle for the Bengals in 2023 after the team brought in Orlando Brown to better secure Joe Burrow’s blind side. Moving Johnson to left tackle is a move that was expected to happen at some point after the team selected him with the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft. Johnson started all 17 games at right tackle last season, allowing eight sacks on 42 pressures while earning a PFF pass-blocking grade of 64.2. the former Ohio State Buckeye will have added responsibilities this season, but should be viewed as the best man for the job after Williams struggled from the left side his first three years in the league.

Johnson announcing his retirement is more of a formality than him actually walking away from the game. The do-it-all back who flirted with a 1,000-plus rushing and receiving yard season back in 2016 didn’t play a snap of football in 2023 and spent much of 2022 as a free agent before being signed to the Saints practice squad and suiting up for five games over the final three months of the season. When he was at his peak, Johnson was one of the best running backs in football — both real and fantasy. He was a key part of the disastrous 2020 offseason trade orchestrated by Bill O’Brien that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals and proved to already be past his prime by the time he arrived in Houston as a 29-year-old running back. Johnson retires, having amassed 6,876 yards from scrimmage and 57 total touchdowns.