I will analyze each team's free agency gains & losses, their 2008 draft recap & overall team needs.


Arizona Cardinals:

Surprisingly the Cardinals did a pretty good job of hanging onto most of the free agent players. They put the franchise tag on MLB Karlos Dansby, then resigned Kurt Warner, DE/OLB Bertrand Berry, TE Leonard Pope, DT Gabe Watson, OL swingman Elton Brown, CB Ralph Brown & LB Clark Haggans. Arizona also added TE Anthony Becht from the Rams & CB Bryant McFadden, formerly a starter with Pittsburgh. They did take some hits though, losing DE Antonio Smith to the Texans, an emerging pass rusher who'll be missed, 3rd down RB J.J. Arrington & special teams terror, Monty Beisel. Cornerback Eric Green also departed the desert, but he wasn't even playing after mid-season.

Arizona had all seven of their draft picks & except for 7th round pick, T Brandon Keith, a developmental project & 6th rounder Chris Herrington, the rest contributed to the run to the Super Bowl the Cardinals made last season. First round pick, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie began starting at mid-season & was a fixture there through the playoffs. Calais Campbell, a second round DE who played in every game last season, will most likely start in Antonio Smith's spot. Third round WR Early Doucet, nicked up with minor injuries for most of the season, could be competing for a WR spot with Jerome Urban if the disgruntled Anquan Boldin is traded. Fifth round choice, RB Tim Hightower was the man in short yardage situations & started later in the year. With the expected release of Edgerrin James & Arrington's free agency, Hightower will literally be the only RB on the roster.

So, it's apparent the Cards will need running back help. Whether that comes in the form of one prospect or a couple of middle round runners with different skill sets is yet to be determined. Suffice to say they will draft at least one running back pretty early. TE Leonard Pope is a red zone threat & newly signed Anthony Becht is mainly a blocker, so there is some need for an everyday pass catcher at the position. An upgrade at center, where the undersized Lyle Sendlein struggles vs bull-rush defenders, should be considered. Some young blood at outside linebacker is definitely in order. Chike Okeafor & Bertrand Berry, the starters, are entering their 11th & 12th seasons respectively. They need to resolve the Boldin contract squabble & do it soon, otherwise trade him before the draft. The Cards playoff run wasn't a mirage, they have a pretty decent group of starters led by an exceptional group of receivers & a very accurate passer, Kurt Warner. But teams that have lost both coordinators in the same season have stumbled & Todd Haley & Clancy Pendergast are gone. They could be a force again this season with the right additions & a little more harmony between a few star players & management.


St. Louis Rams:

The 2-14 Rams purged themselves of a lot of too expensive or too old or often injured or just downright disappointing players. Some big names,  LOT Orlando Pace, WR Torry Holt, KR Dante Hall, WR Dane Looker, DT La'Roi Glover, WR Drew Bennett, CB Fakhir Brown & TE Anthony Becht, all north of thirty years old & all are gone. This obviously freed up a bunch of salary cap dollars & they spent some of it signing ex-Raven C Jason Brown, who should anchor this line for years. They also were able to persuade S James Butler, a very solid starter with the Giants to move west. This move, along with the franchise tag being put on fellow safety, Oshiomogho Atogwe, gives the Rams a very good tandem in the secondary. They also resigned a couple of key backups, DE Eric Moore & G Mark Setterstrom.

The Rams were picking in the top-5 in last year's draft & they're back there again in '09. Chris Long started every game for the Rams at DE & although he didn't jump off the screen when I saw him, he was a fairly solid rookie. His lack of pass rush was somewhat surprising though. Second rounder, WR Donnie Avery was quite a reach in my opinion, but he started 12 games & acquitted himself well, showing flashes of his game breaking ability from his college days at Houston.  Guard John Greco moved into the guard rotation by mid season & started late in the year. He's solid & should start in '09. WR Keenan Burton, on the injury list all season, will need to stay healthy if he's going to contribute to this offense. Fellow 4th round pick, CB Justin King, was injured in camp & was lost for the season. Guard Roy Schuening, a 5th round selection, didn't see much action but I think he has a future with this O-line. Chris Chamberlain, a 7th round linebacker, played on coverage teams all season, but that's about all I expect.

St. Louis has the second overall pick in this draft & they absolutely need to pick a younger version of many time Pro Bowl left tackle, Orlando Pace. I can almost guarantee they will pick Baylor's Jason Smith or Virginia's Eugene Monroe. Trent Green is retired & Brock Berlin is at best a #3 QB, so grooming a backup to Mark Bulger is in the mix. Middle linebacker is a real need, additional receivers & a quality backup running back all should be addressed next month. Since new coach Steve Spagnuolo comes from the defensive side of the ball, his first draft may tilt that way, but a left tackle is a must with the first pick. The Rams got Orlando Pace at the top of the draft 13 years ago & look at how well that worked out. It's time to do it again.

Next up: the San Francisco 49ers & Seattle Seahawks.