With the 2015 season in the rear-view mirror, the Arizona Cardinals have moved on to preparing for next season.
Arizona has 15 unrestricted and four restricted free agents who are set to hit the open market March 9. Over the next two weeks, I will take a detailed look at each position that is slated to have a free agent and what the likelihood is of those players returning in 2016 on a high, medium or low scale.
Next up, defensive line…
Unrestricted free agents: DT Red Bryant
2015 stats: Five tackles in six games
2015 salary: $307,059
Likelihood of returning: Medium
Why: The Cardinals finished the regular season sixth against the run -- the second time in three years that they were in the top 6 at the end of the year -- and while Bryant wasn’t the primary reason for that, he helped add depth toward the end of the season. Bryant’s future with the Cardinals can be contingent on a few things: How well Corey Peters returns from a torn Achilles, if the Cardinals want to keep Cory Redding, who’ll be 36 late next season, and how well nose tackle Xavier Williams progresses this offseason. Bryant is a tried-and-true run-stopper. If Williams reports to training camp having developed enough, Bryant may end up as the odd man out.
