Sometimes it’s not difficult to decipher specific moves a team might make on the roster as it heads into a new season.
Such was the case Wednesday when the Cardinals fired wide receiver Robbie Anderson — he recently changed his first name to Chosen, according to his Instagram account – after a disappointing half-season following a trade from Carolina. Anderson’s cut frees up a $12 million salary cap for the team, an obvious decision for new general manager Monti Ossenfort.
The move leaves the Cardinals with five wide receivers currently signed for 2023: DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown, Rondale Moore, Javon Wims and Auden Tate. Hopkins could potentially be traded, although Greg Dortch is expected to return as an exclusive free agent.
Sixth-round picks in 2024 and seventh-round picks in 2025, Anderson played in 10 games for the Cardinals. But he had just seven catches for 76 yards and never made any changes on offense despite opportunities with injuries to Hopkins, Brown and Moore. Anderson had been brought in to fill a gap where Brown injured his foot.
With the new league year and free agency starting next week, increasing the cap by $12 million is important. According to overthecap.com, the Cardinals had about $15.8 million in cap spot prior to Anderson’s release, a number that would roughly halve after contracts take effect for 2023 and the team has its draft class for signed in 2023.