5 teams who should pay Phillip Lindsay what he’s worth

2. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals made quite the find in Kenyan Drake last year, as he had 643 rushing yards (5.2 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns in eight games after being acquired from the Dolphins. But they clearly want to see more, with the decision to place the transition tag on him before singing him to a one-year deal.

Arizona also found someone to take on the albatross that is what’s left of David Johnson’s contract, which really opens things up on their cap sheet. If Drake quickly shows he’s not the answer, having another option to at least work alongside him would be nice. Chase Edmonds could be that guy, but Lindsay is a better player.

Looking beyond 2020, as Larry Fitzgerald possibly plays his final season this year, an offense piloted by Kyler Murray with DeAndre Hopkins leading a group of promising young wide receivers (Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler) will be very dangerous. Upgrades to the offensive line may come via April’s draft, so the lingering question going forward stands to be at running back.

Even if Drake is eventually given a multi-year deal, the Cardinals can bolster their fallback position immediately by making a trade offer to the Broncos for Lindsay. They should be ready to tender an offer to Lindsay next March, if it comes to that, and they can give him a contract plenty in line with what he’s worth.