The Arizona Cardinals had a disappointing season in 2012 and although they only finished 5-11, there is hope in the desert as they look to the future with new head coach Bruce Arians and the team looks another step in that direction, as they released running back Beanie Wells.
According to ESPN.com, the team cut Wells on Monday after four years with the team. The running back from Ohio State played in 51 games for the Cardinals over his career and rushed for 2,471 yards and 24 touchdowns during that span. The team also released running back Fozzy Whittaker, according to the report.
Last season Wells was sidelined by injuries and played in just eight games last season, rushing for 234 yards and five touchdowns. Wells wrote about the move on Twitter before the team released the news:
"Just been informed that I'll be released today. Would like to thank the Cardinals organization for give me a chance to live out my Dreams," he wrote. "The best has yet to come !!!"
Wells has been dealing with injuries throughout his Cardinals career and only played in 16 games in 2009, which was his rookie season. He rushed for 797 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year, but dropped to only 397 the following season while playing in 13 games. He had his best year in 2011, rushing for 1,047 yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games.
After missing nearly half the season in 2012, Wells ran for just 234 yards on 88 attempts. The Cardinals went 5-11 last season and were one of the most offensively challenged teams in the NFL, ranking 28th in passing yards and last in the league in rushing yards per game. The release of Wells could signal future moves for the Cardinals, as they could possibly draft a back or sign a running back in free agency.
The running back class started off fairly thin, but after some cuts and releases by teams, the Cardinals have a number of options to choose from, including Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw, Michael Turner, Felix Jones, Steven Jackson, Andre Brown and Danny Woodhead.
The Cardinals were one of the worst rushing teams in the league due to the injuries to Wells and they could even sign two of the free agent running backs, including some of the lower tier options like Woodhead and Jones. Bush could be a primary target for the Cardinals, as he proved over the past two seasons that he could be a feature-back while in Miami.
Bush is an explosive player and he rushed for over 1,000-yards last year and nearly did it again this season after gaining 986 rush yards. Bush has scored 50 touchdowns over the past two seasons and proved he could overcome his injury-prone days in New Orleans, as he played in all 16 games last year. Bush will be a hot commodity on the market and if he commands too much money, the team could go after another free agent like Bradshaw or Turner.
The Cardinals could benefit from a veteran presence at the position like Bradshaw, who was cut by the Giants after rushing for over 1,000-yards due to his salary. Arizona has LaRod Stephens-Howling, who was the primary back after Wells went down and he could benefit from having someone like Turner or Bradshaw carry the load next season.
The team also could make a deal for Tebow, as they got such poor play from John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Ryan Lindley last year.