Read More: cincinnati bengals, Deuce Lutui (G – CIN), Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a one-year deal with guard Deuce Lutui. The 28-year-old Lutui had agreed to a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals but surprisingly failed to pass the physical. The deal fell through, and now Lutui is set to return to the only team that he has played for during his five-year tenure in the NFL.

Lutui is a native of Mesa, AZ, and he played his college ball at USC. Drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 41^st overall pick, Lutui has started 72 of 78 regular season games. The six games that he did not start came during his rookie season, when he was still adjusting to the transition from college to the NFL.

Lutui is one of three Cardinals offensive linemen to start every game since the 2008 season- the other two are Levi Brown and Lyle Sendlin. Of course, Lutui will have pass the physical with the Cardinals before he can officially join training camp and begin his sixth NFL season with the team.

Tight end Todd Heap is coming home.

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Profile: Todd Heap

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The former Arizona State and Mesa Mountain View player has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Cardinals, giving the club a pass-catching threat at tight end for the first time in a decade.

Heap, 31, comes to Arizona after spending 10 seasons with the Ravens. He made the Pro Bowl twice
and was twice all-Pro.

Nicknamed “The Golden Retriever”, Heap is a potent pass receiver who presents defenses with matchup problems.

Heap has been hampered by injuries in his career, however, and the Ravens released him shortly before the start of camp in a cost-cutting move.

But Heap is healthy now and spent part of the off-season working out in Tempe with several NFL players, including Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and quarterbacks John Skelton, Max Hall and Rich Bartel.

Heap played in all 16 games last season for the Ravens, catching 40 passes for 599 yards and five touchdowns.

Suddenly, the Cardinals appear to be deeper at tight end than they have been in decades. They acquired Jeff King in free agency and drafted Rob Housler in the third round. Jim Dray, a seventh-round pick last season, played a lot as a rookie. And Stephen Spach was resigned earlier this week.

Heap is not a great blocker, but he won’t be asked to do that job much. That’s King’s specialty.

Read More: 2011 nfl free agency, 2011 nfl rumors, Kevin Kolb (QB – ARI), Todd Heap (TE – ARI), Larry Fitzgerald (WR – ARI), Braylon Edwards (WR – NYJ), Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have made several big moves including Sunday’s signing of TE Todd Heap. They added a solid linebacker in Stewart Bradley and a dependable and durable offensive lineman in Daryn Colledge. But it seems the Cards aren’t done yet. The team that entered free agency with almost $39 million to spend is now rumored to be making a play for wide receiver Braylon Edwards according to XTRA 910′s Mike Jurecki.

Mike Jurecki (mikejurecki) on Twitter
The player I’m talking abt is Braylon Edwards, still working on the deal, it could fall through… Stay tuned!

Edwards, 27, would add another big-play threat alongside Larry Fitzgerald and Todd Heap in a passing attack that would give Kevin Kolb plenty of weapons. 

As the report says, the deal’s not done yet but even before Sunday’s Heap news and the Edwards rumor, Larry Fitzgerald was already pleased with the moves his team has made. And with Fitz on the final year of his deal keeping him happy is considered to be extremely important. 

“This is the most active I’ve ever seen the team in free agency and I think that’s really exciting,” Fitz said after Saturday’s practice. “We addressed a couple of needs. We lost some guys in free agency and obviously a starting cornerback but I think the team is doing a good job addressing the needs that we have. We’re going to continue to make acquisitions, that’s what they say.”

In his five-year NFL career, Edwards has amassed 5,142 receiving yards in 90 games. He played for the NY Jets last season after playing the prior four years in Cleveland.

Read More: Todd Heap (TE – ARI), Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals

Unsurprisingly, Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Wisenhunt wanted to add a pass-catching tight end to his team’s offensive arsenal and pursued Todd Heap. Surprisingly, he was able to sign him while he was talking to another team. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Todd Heap literally agreed with the Cardinals on a two-year deal while he was on a visit with the New York Jets.

 

Wisenhunt was a tight end as a player and his team has been devoid of an offensive option like Heap since he took over the reigns in Arizona. The Cardinals’ offense has struggled since the departure of Kurt Warner even with the presence of Larry Fitzgerald. Fans will be happy to see some significant investment into the team on that side of the ball, as it was much needed. In addition to Heap’s signing, the team has traded for quarterback Kevin Kolb, drafted running back Ryan Williams and signed free agent guard Daryn Colledge.

FLAGSTAFF – For Daryn Colledge, life would have been much easier had he been able to stay with the Packers.

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Cardinals training camp 2011 | Fans at camp | Full schedule

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It’s an established team, the defending Super Bowl champion, and there are returning starters at most positions.

Instead, the Packers let Colledge, their starting left guard, hit free agency, and he landed with the Cardinals.

“I’ve got a lot of work (to do),” he said. “I’ve got a system I’ve got to dump that I’ve been doing the last five years, and I’ve got a brand new one I have to learn in five days. It’s going to be tough.

“We’ve got a new quarterback back there and we’ve got some moving parts in the offensive line.”

Like other veteran free agents, Colledge won’t be able to practice until Thursday, but he is attending practices and meetings.

Colledge said he doesn’t believe the Cardinals are far away from returning to the team that beat his Packers in the playoffs during the 2009 season.

“It’s an exciting opportunity,” he said. “These guys are extremely talented, and I thought it was the opportunity to be a part of a project. It’s a chance to see a team turn it around. That’s exciting to me.”

Colledge is meeting many of his new teammates, although he is familiar with new quarterback Kevin Kolb.

“I know Kevin in passing because my Green Bay Packers took him out (in the playoffs),” he said. “Me and Kevin had a relationship but this one will be much more friendly.”

Personnel moves

The Cardinals moved to soften the blow of trading away cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, signing free-agent Richard Marshall to a one-year deal.

Marshall played five NFL seasons, all with Carolina, and started every game the past two years. The Cardinals also came to terms with veteran guard Floyd Womack.

Marshall likely will compete with Greg Toler for a starting position opposite Patrick Peterson, the first-round pick who came to terms Saturday.

“We had a need at the corner,” Whisenhunt said. “(Marshall’s) been a consistent player in this league for a couple years. He’s young (26) and we get a chance to look at him this year, and that’s exciting.”

The Cardinals announced the signing of tight end Rob Housler, their-round pick, to a four-year deal.

They also signed cornerback Tae Evans, a rookie free agent from West Texas A&M. Another rookie free agent, cornerback Da’Mon Merkerson, was released.

Numbers game

Quarterback Kevin Kolb worked out a deal with kicker Jay Feely and will wear No. 4 this year, while Feely takes No. 3.

Kolb will make a donation to the Feely Family Foundation, which funds scholarships, promotes healthy lifestyles and partners with Mission of Hope in Haiti.

Conditioning run

Coach Ken Whisenhunt was pleased with the performance of most of the players able to participate in the conditioning run Friday morning.

“We had a couple of guys who struggled, which you thought they probably would, but a great percentage did very well,” Whisenhunt said. “It was a good start.

“We’ll do a little extra conditioning at the end of practices this year in camp, just to make sure.”

Veteran free agents were not able to participate in the test.