Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
You could say the writing was on the wall for guard Adam Snyder after the Arizona Cardinals invested their No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft on the first selected guard in Jonathan Cooper. It became utterly clear when new general manager Steve Keim doubled-down at the guard spot by taking Larry Watford in Round 4.
Now the Cardinals have cut Snyder, the player they signed last offseason and started at the right guard position. Pro Football Focus graded him out as their second-lowest ranked right guard in 2012.
It is assumed that Cooper, the relatively nimble 6-2, 311-pounder out of North Carolina, will take over at the starting right guard spot.
“He adds a nice dimension to the existing group of guys we have,” Keim said of Cooper. “This is a very nice piece of the puzzle and he will find his way to wherever his spot ends up.”
Watford, hailing from FBS school James Madison, should provide quality depth and potentially compete for the left guard spot occupied by Daryn Colledge at some point down the road, though Colledge signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal with $10 million guaranteed back in 2011.
“This guy has tremendous upside,” Keim said. “He was a player that, again, playing at a small school, had an opportunity to play against some bigger colleges and played extremely well in those games. Then he went down to the East-West Shrine Game and during that week of practice was outstanding.”
Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer must like what they’re seeing up front.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
