Washington's uncertainty muddles Cardinals' ILB picture

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Cardinals GM Steve Keim and coach Bruce Arians didn't field any questions about troubled linebacker Daryl Washington at Wednesday's press conference to preview the NFL Draft. Maybe that's because Arians made it clear to reporters at the recent NFL Owners Meetings that such questions were pointless.

"I really can't even talk about Daryl," Arians said. "He's not even a part of our team so there's no sense in talking about him."

You can be certain the Cardinals are talking about Washington in private. It may be the most multi-layered issue the team faces this offseason; one that impacts several other decisions, including their approach to next week's NFL Draft.

Washington has applied for reinstatement to the NFL from his yearlong suspension for violating the league's policy on substance abuse. But he still must await reinstatement by the league. A league medical director and a medical adviser will interview Washington within 45 days of the receipt of his application, after which a recommendation will be made to commissioner Roger Goodell on whether or not to reinstate him.

So where does that leave the Cardinals at inside linebacker as they head into the draft and offseason workouts? Arizona already signed veteran Sean Weatherspoon as insurance, but Glenn Carson and Kenny Demens look more like depth guys. Arians said Deone Bucannon will play more safety and less dime linebacker this season and Arians delivered a bit of an eye-opener when addressing 2013 second-round pick Kevin Minter's role with the team, essentially calling him a situational player.

Top ILB draft prospects

Player School Ht./Wt. Round
Eric Kendricks UCLA 6-0/232 1-2
Benardrick McKinney Miss. St. 6-4/246 2
Stephone Anthony Clemson 6-3/243 2-3
Paul Dawson TCU 6-0/235 2-3
Denzel Perryman Miami 5-11/236 3
Ben Heeney Kansas 6-0/231 4
Taiwan Jones Michigan St.
6-3/245 4-5
Ramik Wilson Georgia 6-2/237 5
Martrell Spaight Arkansas 6-0/236 5
Bryce Hager Baylor 6-1/234 5-6
Hayes Pullard USC 6-0/240 6
Zach Vigil Utah St. 6-2/236 6-7
SOURCE:
CBSsports.com    

"The position has changed. Mike linebackers are comparable to nose guards. When you're playing running teams they get to play. We don't play too many of them any more," Arians said. "You hate to say that a guy's a bust because he's not playing. That's a first- and second-down player that we needed at that time."

So if Minter is nothing more than a situational player now, who plays the other inside position next to Weatherspoon? One possibility is that soon-to-be 35-year-old veteran Larry Foote will opt to player one more year, rather than retiring to join the team's coaching staff.

Foote told the team's website on Thursday that the chances of him still playing are 50-50, with the aforementioned factors weighing on his decision. 

"Draft, what happens with (suspended linebacker) Daryl Washington, stuff like that, how my knee feels (after offseason surgery)," Foote told azcardinals.com. "I'll sit down with B.A. and the next couple of months are really going to be the deciding factor."

Arians said at the owners meetings that Foote's decision could come at the last minute.

"The day before training camp begins," Arians said. "He's going to be in every meeting and he for damn sure isn't going to be out there running around. He had knee surgery anyway, so he couldn't do anything until then. We've got an alternate plan ready if he decides to go back and play."

Foote's return would solve the problem for a year, after which he would likely retire and Weatherspoon's one-year contract will have expired. That impending uncertainty could lead the Cardinals to draft a player next week.

Whatever the outcome, Keim admitted Wednesday that situations like Washington's provide a lesson for NFL executives and scouts who can sometimes get blinded by talent.

"If Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3 we'd probably diagnose it as an eating disorder," Keim said. "It's tough. When you see a guy with a tremendous amount of talent but he's got off-field issues, you're thinking to yourself, 'what kind of kid really is he?'"

Keim said he and his scouts are being more aggressive about answering those questions due to the rash of incidents in the NFL last season

"I tell our scouts all the time: those guys are talent evaluators and private investigators, as well," he said. "I always revert back to how we're going to take chances on guys who've had off-field issues. There's just no doubt about that. All teams have to because there are so many guys with so many issues.

"If you're going to take a chance, you have to take a chance on a guy who's potentially going to point themselves in the right direction because of their love for the game, just like Tyrann (Mathieu) has."

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