TEMPE, Ariz. -- Age is just number ... or at least that's the Arizona Cardinals' hope.
Both of their announced signings Thursday, the first day of free agency, were 30 or older when pen hit the paper. Safety Antoine Bethea is 32 and center A.Q. Shipley is 30. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported kicker Phil Dawson will also sign with the Cardinals. He’s 42.
And according to multiple reports, the Cardinals are closing in on a deal with linebacker Karlos Dansby, who has two previous stints with Arizona under his belt. He’s 35.
The Cardinals have had success in the past with veterans 30 or older, with players such as John Abraham, Larry Foote and Chris Johnson, as well as Carson Palmer and Frostee Rucker. The run of signings and potential signings this week signals the Cardinals brass believes they can hit pay dirt again.
Bethea certainly believes he has plenty of tread on the tires.
“A lot. I’ve been fairly healthy in my career," he said when asked how much he has left. "Take good care of my body. You know, I still got some good ball left in me and I’m here to help the team.”
And it’s not as though the Cardinals were lacking in veteran leadership.
When the season starts, Palmer will be 37, Larry Fitzgerald will be 34, Drew Stanton will be 33, Tyvon Branch will be 30, as will Jared Veldheer and Mike Iupati. And that’s without Calais Campbell, 30, who was lost in free agency or Rucker, 33, who’s still on the market -- along with 30-year-old Darren Fells, 31-year-old Johnson and 30-year-old Taylor Boggs -- or recently retired 35-year-old Evan Mathis.
Instead of opting for younger and likely more expensive players, the Cardinals are aiming for veterans to fill needs: at safety, where they added Bethea after Tony Jefferson left for more money in Baltimore; presumably at kicker, where Chandler Catanzaro remains on the market, and at inside linebacker, where Kevin Minter is still a free agent and could be replaced by Dansby.
While price might have played a significant factor in signing veterans instead of players in their 20s, the Cardinals are building a culture of experience in their locker room, as they prepare to make -- possibly -- one more run at a Super Bowl with the Palmer and Fitzgerald.
