The Arizona Cardinals' defense has been pillaged this offseason.
The team lost star defensive tackle Calais Campbell, safety Tony Jefferson, corner Marcus Cooper, linebacker Kevin Minter and safety D.J. Swearinger.
Despite losing five starters in free agency, Cards general manager Steve Keim is spinning positive.
"You can see we've obviously done a good job of identifying players," Keim said, via the Arizona Republic. "When guys like Marcus Cooper get five-plus million dollars or D.J. Swearinger are getting big contracts, these are guys we took off the street that nobody else wanted. Our personnel department does a fantastic job and our coaches do a good job of developing these guys and getting them ready."
Keim has faith his scouting department can find playmakers to fill the gaps.
"At the end of the day, we've got to continue to stack this roster and put in place guys who can make a difference not only on the field, but off the field," Keim said.
Some players are harder to replace than others. Arizona added veteran safety Antoine Bethea and linebacker Karlos Dansby. Those players will fill some of the holes, but others, like the massive one in the middle left by Campbell, will be tougher to caulk.
Last week, Around The NFL colleague and resident football philosophizer, Chris Wesseling, pondered whether the championship window closed for the Cardinals after all the defections.
Despite the departure of key players and a thinning roster with several critical problem areas, Keim's faith in his staff has him believing Arizona can bounce back from the losses.
