Cardinals: Coach Arians going through painful rehab after shoulder surgery.
Bruce Arians’ right arm is in a sling, and if the Cardinals’ coach had his way, receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s rear end would be in one, too.
That’s because Arians recently underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, the result of Fitzgerald hugging Arians after the Cardinals beat the Seahawks in Seattle on Christmas Eve.
“It’s all Fitz’s fault, he caused the whole thing,” Arians said this week. “It’s going to cost him.”
A get-well card isn’t going to do it, apparently.
“It’s going to be a get-well convertible,” Arians said. “I’m still deciding what kind.”
The surgery went better than expected, Arians said, because the surgeon was able to do it arthroscopically. Still, the recovery has been painful, Arians said, much worse than when he had both knees replaced a few years ago.
“Hopefully, I play golf sometime in June, July,” he said. “The original plan was I wouldn’t play golf until next year, after the season.”
QB search
The NFL Network reported Cardinals worked out Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Thursday. That’s not surprising since the Cardinals are likely to have private workouts with most, if not all, of the top quarterback prospects.
The team can glean more information from private workouts than from a school’s pro day, General Manager Steve Keim said.
“I would stray away from pro days if I could,” said Keim. “They’ve become so big that you don’t have the individual attention you need. You’re wasting some time.”
The most important part of the private workouts is not even the workout, Arians said. Arm strength and accuracy can be seen on video. What Arians wants to know is how quickly the quarterback can learn and how much information he can retain.
“I think it’s huge on guys you don’t have a real good feel for,” Arians said. “You want to get them on the blackboard, see them answer questions, recite information.”
The Cardinals are searching for Carson Palmer’s eventual replacement and are expected to draft a quarterback next month.
“I think there are five or six really good arms in this draft,” Arians said. “Whether there are five or six quarterbacks, that’s what we have to find out. I’m feeling more and more there are a couple of sleepers who, because of their offenses, didn’t show as much as they are capable of.”
The corner market
For the second consecutive year, the Cardinals aren’t sure who will be starting at cornerback opposite of Patrick Peterson.
In 2016, the Cardinals let Jerraud Powers leave via free agency. This year, they watched Marcus Cooper leave for the Bears.
The main contenders for the job on the current roster are Brandon Williams and Justin Bethel. Both struggled at times in 2016. Williams’ problem was inexperience. A third-round pick last year, Williams played cornerback just one season in college.
Bethel was hindered by a foot injury most of the season.
“Brandon is ready,” Arians said. “Justin will be much, much better.”
The upcoming draft is deep in cornerbacks, too, Arians said.
Paying Gresham
Tight end Jermaine Gresham hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since the 2012 season, and Pro Football Focus ranked him as the NFL’s 59th best tight end last season.
The Cardinals, however, value Gresham highly. They proved that by signing him earlier this month to a four-year deal that includes $13 million fully guaranteed.
“There have been years when I felt like some people might have identified us as a finesse team,” Keim said. “I feel like in the last couple years we’ve been able to line up toe to toe and run the football against anybody. And Jermaine Gresham is one of the primary reasons. To me, he is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.”
In 2014, the year before Gresham arrived, the Cardinals averaged 81.8 rushing yards a game, 31st in the NFL.
In 2015, Gresham’s first season, the Cardinals were eighth with a 119.8-yard average and last year were 18th with a 108.3-yard average.
Gresham is not the only reason for the improvement, but the Cardinals obviously think he played a big role.
Good player, wrong team
The Cardinals opted to sign veteran kicker Phil Dawson rather than attempt to re-sign Chandler Catanzaro.
Catanzaro, who missed some clutch kicks in 2016, signed with the Jets.
“I really believe Chandler Catanzaro will kick in this league for 15 years,” Arians said. “I love Cat. But this team, right now, needs someone like Phil Dawson.”
The Cardinals believe they are built to win now, so they decided they couldn’t risk going through more growing pains with Catanzaro, their kicker the past three years.
Dawson, 42, is entering his 19th NFL season.
“He’s probably the most consistent kicker in the last 10 years,” Arians said.
Arians has known Dawson for years, and the two had a running joke going every time they saw each other.
“When are you coming to the desert?” Arians would ask.
“When are you signing me?” Dawson would reply.
“When you quit asking for $3 million (a year).”
The Cardinals apparently are the ones who blinked, because Dawson’s two-year contract is worth $6 million.