The Arizona Cardinals shored up their tight end position by agreeing to a one-year deal with tight end Jermaine Gresham.
For years since moving to the desert, the Arizona Cardinals have struggled to find a productive tight end. Years of wasted free-agent signings and over-hyped draft picks, the tight end position hasn’t been too kind to the Cardinals since they arrived in Arizona in 1988.
Now, the Cardinals might finally have their first productive tight end in a while. According to Adam Schefter, the Cardinals have reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year deal with tight end Jermaine Gresham.
Cardinals and former Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham reached agreement on one-year deal, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 24, 2015
Gresham had been taking visits around the league as he was finally ready to sign a contract after having back surgery on a herniated disc in the offseason. With training camp just around the corner, Gresham was expected to be a hot commodity and in the end, it was the Cardinals who ended up securing his services.
The deal for the Cardinals and Gresham makes sense on many levels. First being that the two-time Pro Bowl tight end is familiar with Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer as the two played together during Gresham’s rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Second, the Arizona Cardinals needed a veteran tight end to fill out the offense bad. With a talented receiving group led by Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown, and a talented backfield led by Andre Ellington, the tight end position was the one skill position the Cardinals were missing a quality caliber player at.
The team’s tight end roster was last year’s second-round pick Troy Niklas, who never got to show what he could do because of injury, basketball-to-football hybrid Darren Fells, whose immense size showed promise, Ifeanyi Momah, who was signed from the veteran’s combine and Ted Bolser, who was signed to the 90-man roster.
Needless to say, the Cardinals tight ends have about a handful of games experience combined amongst each other. Adding a veteran tight end like Gresham, and a talented one at that is a big addition the Cardinals as they continue to add depth to their squad as they look to make another playoff push.
For Palmer, it should be an easy transition with his new tight end, and for the Cardinals they might have finally found a tight end that they can count on.
Watch out for that passing attack in Arizona this fall.
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