Hope everyone is rested after that long week last week. But it was a solid week for the Cardinals, who filled a lot of needs with some quality. I'd like to think the mailbag is always quality and quantity (although the latter is dependent on you guys sending queries my way.) Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.

From Nigel Green:

"Greetings Darren, thanks for the mailbag. Given the players signed in free agency do you think these signings give any indication as to the direction they might go in the draft? Interior OL instead of DL at 16?"

As of now, yes, I think that might make the Cardinals give a little more serious thought to an offensive lineman -- maybe a tackle, doesn't need to be a guard -- at No. 16. But this draft is deep in defensive linemen so they might've been thinking that regardless of what happened in free agency. The idea of free agency, in Monti Ossenfort's eyes, is to do enough in free agency to make the draft -- especially that first round -- be whatever it needs to be for the best player.

(And maybe, in the Cardinals' case, allow them to trade down and get more picks, which we all know Monti enjoys doing.)

From Steve D:

"Hi Darren. The Cardinals signing Dalvin Tomlinson was a solid pickup for a team that has struggled to stop the run in recent years. However, I think Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols are average. Do you think the Cardinals look at their D-line now as being fixed or do you think drafting a DT at either No. 16 or No. 47 is still more likely than not? Thanks."

I think taking a defensive lineman remains a high possibility because the position is strong in this draft and because this front office and this coaching staff are big believers in building the trenches. They still believe in Jones and Nichols, which is why they signed them in the first place. But after going what they went through with both last season on IR, you can't have enough depth.

From Richard Wakefield:

"When a player opts for free agency, is he severed from the team and can't come back without a new contract?"

I assume this question means you can't hang out at the facility, and the answer is correct. There are liability issues there for one, but mostly, if a guy isn't under contract, he may never get one again. There are situations where a team wants a player back and basically tells him, here is our offer if you can't do better out there. But until he signs, then he's not around. That just makes sense. A team isn't going to let a player work out to get him ready for another team, and frankly, a player doesn't want to hang around a facility of a team that doesn't want him. (Also, this time of year, many guys are off on their own and/or working out on their own anyway.)

From Joe Cardea:

"Darren, the Cardinals seem to have a fair amount of cap space left. If I am reading overthecap.com right it's about $65M. I understand this may be understated a bit. Plus they have to sign Trey McBride. What else do they need money for? I know it's easier for me to spend then the front office but it seems like there is another signing in there?"

Not sure when you sent this in Joe, but I am sure they have nowhere near that cap space at this point. Not all the contracts have been filed through the system yet, so let's wait until the dust clears to get a better handle on the cap space. There will be more signings, but any that grab huge headlines? Probably not.

From Aaron Correa:

"Hi Darren, I have a handful of questions.

1. Any chance they resign Will Martinez? He was great pre-injury and chemistry on the OL is important.
2. Why all the talk about drafting a RT? We have Jonah this year, and then 2026 beyond Christian Jones deserves a shot, no? Any thoughts on CJ in general? Guy is gargantuan.
3. Is Trey Benson still the heir apparent to JC or do you think they were disappointed in him last year?
4. Do you think a top CB in the draft is a priority or are they happy with our current CBs 1-2-3?
5. Bringing back Zay Jones was an underrated re-sign. He was so good in camp. Do you think he projects to have a bigger role this year assuming he's healthy?
6. Are Bilal and Justin Jones expected to be ready and 100 percent for season's start? Have you seen them in the facilities? How are they looking?
7. Was Jacoby brought in to support Kyler as the No. 1 QB or compete with Kyler for the No. 1 QB job?"

I have a handful of answers.

1. I assume you mean Will Hernandez. Don't think the door is shut, but my guess is Will is looking to see what he can get on the market. With his injury, might be awhile before he gets a deal. He's only about 6 months removed from his injury.
2. Christian Jones will get a chance to prove himself. But he has not yet, and you don't avoid drafting a position because a player "deserves" a shot. He was a fifth-round pick. If he succeeds, he will have earned it.
3. I do not think they were disappointed. He was coming on before his ankle injury. But heir apparent? This is all year to year.
4. I do not think cornerback is a draft priority, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't take one.
5. Jones might, but I see a similar player to Harrison and Wilson. What they need on the field more often is some speed.
6. Have not seen them. (I'm not over at the facility much this time of year, once we moved buildings.) I would expect they would be healthy for the season.
7. Barring something unforeseen, Kyler is QB1.

From John M:

"Do you think the Cardinals will sign either Lockett or Kupp or would you prefer them to get one out of the draft? I think either one could help our young receivers much like Zach Ertz helped McBride."

Kupp, of course, has been signed by the Seahawks -- basically to replace Lockett. I don't see them signing Lockett, although I will be honest, I expected Lockett to have signed somewhere already. Wonder what his scouting report is after Year 10 (he was not nearly the factor he had been last season) and what his asking price might be.

From Jim C:

"Hi Darren, there was a podcast that brought up the interesting idea of eliminating divisions in the NFL to promote more diversity of matchups. Gotta say I would love that. Did you know that since 1973 we have only played the Raiders 11 times. There are dozens of teams we rarely see, and I think it'd be a breath of fresh air to inject some new opponents into our schedule. Furthermore, I'm in favor of a straight 'most wins make playoffs' system. No more divisions. Just think of it Darren, don't you want to visit new towns and partake in different local cuisines?"

Jim, I have been doing this long enough that I have visited every NFL city at least three times, so there is that. But mostly, I look at the NFL and huge ratings and big rivalries and think, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So no. I'm good like this.

From Bo H:

"Any news on Will Hernandez? Is he 100 percent, do the Cards have interest in bringing him back? IMO the guy is a stud guard and knows the system. And what about Dortch, Colon, Luketa and Kyzir White? They have been very good players for us."

As I mentioned earlier, I won't rule Hernandez totally out, but I think it could be a little while before we know where he is going to play in 2025. Dortch was tendered an offer as a restricted free agent, so I'd think he'd return. As for the other guys, Colon perhaps. It seems like the Cardinals have moved to replace Kyzir on the roster. Luketa possibly as well.

From Terence R:

"Hi Darren. It sounds like D-line talent is deep in this year's draft. The line on quite a few of them are 'strong run stuffers.' When I see that, what I read between the lines is 'don't bank on a lot of sacks or pressures, and they won't be on the field for any 3rd-and-longs.' Assuming that read is correct, in what round do you think the Cardinals should draft for that? Could it be worth a first?"

I'm not drafting a two-down nose tackle in the first round. I would doubt Monti would. But there are a ton of defensive linemen that can a ton of different things, and that's what the scouting process is for -- to find the guys who can do more. Those are the ones that go in the first round.

From Dennis S:

"I'm still waiting for the Cardinals to make a move, FA or trade, for an above average WR! Are you satisfied with the WR room right now or do you see them going after a solid WR? Zay Jones does nothing for me!"

Here's the good news Dennis. Zay Jones obviously does something for the coaching staff and front office, so re-signing him does make sense! (Sorry, I normally hate using exclamation points but I got caught up in the emotion of the moment.)

From Bobby Woltjer:

"I'm super happy about getting Josh Sweat, but to be honest with you, I am also shocked. It's crazy to call his deal a bargain, but looking at some of the deals out there it absolutely is. Thus my paranoia begins. What's stopping Sweat from pulling our prior to Wednesday and saying 'Wait! I can get way more than that?'"

Obviously this came in the window of after Sweat news broke and before he officially signed. But I thought, in general, it was worth an answer. There is trust built between not only player and team in these situations but also agent and team. You start pulling the rug out from under a team like that, an agent is going to get a very bad rep very quickly (and it's not just about the agent with the team; other agents will negative recruit future players against that agent by saying teams don't trust him.) Not saying it never happens, but it's rare. In 2020, when the pandemic made it hard as hell for DeAndre Hopkins and David Johnson to take their physicals after the Cardinals and Texans agreed to the trade, there was a little nervousness on this end that the Texans might somehow change their mind. But it proved moot.

From Lee T:

"Any word from D.J. Humphries? Has he recovered from his knee injury and will he be available to play offense this year? Will the Cards bring him back, or is he retiring? Thanks for the mailbag and sharing what you can with us fans."

Hump is a free agent after signing late in the year with the Chiefs (and understandably, coming off his ACL injury) struggled and was rusty. He's not coming back to the Cardinals. I would guess he'd like to keep playing, but it's been a minute since I have talked to him.

From Michele T:

"Free agency has proved exciting! Monti and crew are certainly doing their part to improve the team. I'm intrigued by what these moves mean for the draft. What are your thoughts about the position players the Cardinals will target as a result of their free agency acquisitions? I also have some questions about how the draft works. What players are eligible for the draft? Is there some sort of list that teams pick from? Does everyone on the list get chosen? Are teams limited to the number of players they can bring in for interviews or are players limited in the number of interviews they can accept? Are most rookies represented by agents? Thanks Darren!"

Lemme throw out some answers for you, Michele.

• Not sure what positions they might chase now. Could still see a wide receiver, an interior offensive lineman. And they will still look at depth, maybe at cornerback. The draft is probably going to come first and then they might wade back in.
• Any player who has exhausted his eligibility in college can be drafted. Underclassmen have to declare. (A player must be three years removed from his HS graduating class before he can enter the NFL).
• There is not a list, per se. That's what all these teams have scouting departments for.
• Again, no list. And every year there are players that expect to be drafted but are not. Most of them end up signing as undrafted free agents. But not all.
• Teams can bring in up to 30 players to visit their facility for interviews, on top of the guys they talk to -- formally or informally -- at the Scouting combine.
• Yes, most rookies are represented by agents. It's a tough road to hoe when you are first getting in the league. The guys who go agent-less typically don't until after they sign their first contract.

From Rob S:

"Thank you for your response to my question in the mailbag last week. You stated the following: 'The locker room has already been renovated once, and if they are going to construct a brand-new building -- relatively soon -- it seems foolish to dump a bunch of money for a one- or two-year fix when you're just going to tear it down anyway.' So am I to assume the locker room that got the poor grades is the one at the training facility, NOT the stadium? If so that makes sense."

The grades that come out from the NFLPA are about a team's training facility (although there are a few teams that use their stadium for everything.) And again, fixing that issue is very much something the Cardinals are in the process of making right.

From Jay Schubert:

"I have a stupid question that I hope you can answer. Only 12 players on the field at the same time in football so when you talk about 12 personnel, that makes sense. However, yesterday I read that an NFL team sometimes uses 21 personnel. What the heck is that? I have now heard 10, 12, 13, 14 and now 21. Logic says that they must mean something other than number of players on the field. Can you educate me please?"

There are no stupid questions here, Jay. (At least none that will actually be answered here for the world to see. Our vetting process is strong.) So here's the deal: 21 personnel is rarely used as a term because it is the basic formation everyone knows, which is two running backs, one tight end (and two wide receivers.)

The others:

10 - one running back, no tight ends (4 WR)
12 - one running back, 2 tight ends (2 WR)
13 - one running back, 3 tight ends (1 WR)
14 - three running backs, 1 tight end (1 WR, and this is pretty rare)

Hope that helps

From Sidney Sexson:

"No real question -- just a comment on a great video. I just watched the 'Overtime' piece on Roy Lopez. That was very well done. He seems like a very wonderful person and a great ambassador for the team. Also, with recent signings and no mention of Dennis Gardeck it seems like his time here may be over. Do you have any updates on his rehab or free agent status?"

Lopez was a solid pickup for the Cardinals and having a hometown kid embrace the team the way he did -- and his family too -- made for a great story. It would've been nice to have him stay, but business is business for both player and team. As for Gardeck, there are no updates from me. From my experience, I wouldn't be surprised if Gardeck moves on. He's been a great story and I will for sure have a wrap-up post if he were to leave. But for now, we'll see what happens with him as he comes back from a second ACL tear.