After picking up a pair of offensive linemen and several defensive starters in free agency and the draft, the Arizona Cardinals are adding even more reinforcements from a previous draft class.
By all accounts, 2013 first-round guard Jonathan Cooper and third-round defensive back Tyrann Mathieu have fully recovered from major leg injuries that sabotaged their sophomore campaigns.
Mathieu played 13 games last season, albeit in a part-time role as the coaches eased him back into the rotation. The Cardinals now believe the versatile playmaker is "back to the player he was" before a torn ACL ended his Defensive Rookie of the Year bid in 2013, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Phoenix.
Although his 2015 role isn't set in stone, the Cardinals' offseason moves suggest Mathieu will split his time between safety and slot corner just as he did as a rookie.
A healthy Mathieu is one of the game's most instinctive playmakers, capable of adding an extra dimension to new coordinator James Bettcher's defense.
Still favoring his surgically repaired left leg last offseason and into training camp, Cooper was an afterthought until late in the year.
General manager Steve Keim finally started seeing Cooper's lateral quickness, speed and range return at the beginning of December.
Jurecki notes that Cooper has been moving around quite well at right guard in recent workouts, which jibes with Keim's mid-February update.
"We have huge expectations for him," Keim told KMVP in Phoenix. "He has got to stay healthy."
Since the start of last offseason, Keim has added rock-solid left tackle Jared Veldheer, Pro Bowl left guard Mike Iupati, 2015 first-round right tackle D.J. Humphries and Cooper.
If Cooper is ready to fulfill long-awaited expectations, the Arizona offensive line can complete its transition from league-worst in 2012 and 2013 to one of the most dominant in 2015.
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