The Arizona Cardinals added some veterans to the defense when the team signed Arthur Moats and Tre Boston on Wednesday to one-year deals. Both are quality additions to the defense and will also be assets in the locker room.
Who Is Arthur Moats?
Moats will be heading into his ninth season and while there have been some changes to the Cardinals organization, some still regard it as Pittsburgh West. Moats, after all, most recently spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has some position flexibility but he is best suited to play outside linebacker. Moats can play inside, something he did more of when he first came into the league with the Bills.
For his career, Moats has 16.5 career sacks but he never eclipsed more than four in a season. Moats can certainly help provide another veteran presence on this defense and it could also provide some insurance while Markus Golden works his way back from a torn ACL. He can also play on special teams units for the Cardinals.
Moats is also well regarded throughout the league as one of the most likable guys in the NFL. He was the Steelers’ 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee thanks to his charitable work with the Ronald McDonald House. He will be a glue guy for the Cardinals because of his leadership ability in the locker room.
Who is Tre Boston?
Boston surely didn’t think he was going to have to wait this long to sign a deal with a team after coming off a career year in Los Angeles with the Chargers. This signing could also come off as somewhat of a surprise, as the veteran safety visited the Cardinals in May and left feeling as though the offer was “very, very disrespectful,” as he said in a radio interview shortly after.
Yet he is now a Cardinal and he’s coming off a career year in which he led the Chargers with five interceptions. He can play deep middle and come down in the box to the play the run. He figures to be a key contributor to the defense as the Cardinals like to deploy a three-safety look. It will be interesting to see how Wilks deploys his safeties this year but Boston will surely be in that mix.
The Cardinals are reporting to camp Friday with a good group of veterans mixed with young guys looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.