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Cards Mailbag: Down time before the draft, Part 1

Welcome to #CardsMailbag, a weekly installment that allows you to ask me questions about the Arizona Cardinals throughout the week via Twitter @joshweinfuss. I'll answer them every weekend during the offseason. Make sure to use the hashtag #CardsMailbag.

@joshweinfuss: Without sounding sarcastic, I honestly have no idea. Some players (Read: Peterson, Adrian) can come back in an offseason. Having written about knee injuries extensively the in last few years, I've learned that a lot of a player's recovery depends on the physiology of his knee. Most recoveries take about eight months, so that will put him 100 percent healthy - or a version of it - around July. But the problem I see with drafting Todd Gurley is his ability to pick up Bruce Arians' offense without being on the field for it. That's a lot harder said than done.

@joshweinfuss: I think the longer this back-and-forth goes with the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson, the better the chances are that he stays a Viking. It's solely up to the Vikings if they want to trade him and, let's be honest here, would you trade him if you're the Vikings?

@joshweinfuss: Ahh, for variety. My favorite kind of speculation. As of Friday afternoon, the NFLPA has the Cardinals with $13.9 million of cap room at 72 contracts. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Arizona's top 51 contracts give them about $9.6 million in cap room. Which free agents can the Cardinals target with that money? Any of those who are left. The best of the crop is gone, but as general manager Steve Keim said during the NFL owners meetings on Monday, the Cards are waiting for the second wave of free agency to begin, which includes players who come to the conclusion that they're not worth what they initially thought they were.

@joshweinfuss: I think for the right price, Stevan Ridley would be a good fit with the Cardinals. However, as with Todd Gurley, Ridley's knee will be a concern. He tore his ACL and MCL in mid-October, which is likely why he hasn't been signed yet. If the Cardinals could get him for real cheap and stash him deep on the roster until he gets healthy, then maybe he might be worth signing, but overall I doubt Arizona will touch him because of the injury.