Arizona Cardinals Rumors: Branden Albert will be top target?
Branden Albert (76) during the 2013 AFC wild card playoff football game against the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Cardinals biggest position of need is definitely still at tackle, even if their decision to trade Levi Brown to the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the regular season was a good one. Bradley Sowell is simply not good enough to be starting in this league, and the Cardinals desperately need to find a top-notch starting tackle to add to the fold. If they can do that, then the quality of their offensive line play- and thus the quality of the Cardinals offense as a whole- would greatly increase.
Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Branden Albert is one of the better blindside protectors in the business, and the Chiefs aren’t expected to re-sign him after he played out the 2014 season on a franchise tender. While Albert isn’t guaranteed to leave K.C., he’s fully expected to be available in March, and the Chiefs drafted Eric Fisher with the No. 1 pick for a reason. Even though he struggled mightily at the beginning of the year, Fisher got better as the season progressed and was never expected to be good immediately due to his small-school background.
So Albert is a prime candidate for the Cardinals in free agency, especially since the team has been rumored to be interested in him for quite some time. They tried to trade for him last offseason, and now FOX Sports’s Mike Jurecki reports that Albert will be the team’s top target in free agency. Of course, the crucial caveat is Albert’s asking price, since the Cardinals wouldn’t give up a king’s ransom to a guy who could easily end up getting overpaid a la Jermon Bushrod last offseason. While Albert is a solid left tackle, he’s not elite but could end up with elite money in his pocket.