The Arizona Cardinals will have a big decision to make in the offseason.
One of the biggest issues that looms over everything is Daryl Washington and his monstrous contract. Washington is set to cost the Cardinals $7,500,000 in cap space and with his heaviest cap hit this year it goes without saying that he could be a target for release.
Washington has been suspended since he violated the NFL's substance abuse policy. It is clear that neither Bruce Arians nor Washington have any idea when the troubled linebacker could be reinstated however it is possible Washington would be given an additional penalty due to his infractions against the NFL's personal conduct policy as well.
With Washington looking at another possible suspension before he is reinstated and a monstrous cap hit that would prevent the Cardinals from bolstering this playoff caliber team it is hard to imagine that he wouldn't be cut just for the cap space alone.
The Cardinals have found a suitable replacement in Deone Bucannon and have depth with their cover linebackers, plus they played the entire 2015 season without Washington so they must be doing something right. The Cardinals really need a solid pass rusher and they could bring a couple in during this free agency period if they release Washington.
The Cardinals could pick up veterans such as Nick Fairley, Haloti Ngata, or Jeremy Mincey. They could also take a chance on some of the more youthful pass rushers such as Jason Pierre-Paul, Cedric Thornton, Malik Jackson, or Muhammad Wilkerson. They could even take a chance on Greg Hardy if they wanted however somehow after dealing with Washington for the last couple of seasons I am pretty sure Arians shy's away from a guy with such baggage.
A productive pass rusher is the difference between the playoff bound Cardinals and the Super Bowl Champion Cardinals.
