The Cardinals didn’t wind up signing Josh Cribbs earlier this week because of the torn meniscus in Cribbs’ knee, but it sounds like coach Bruce Arians still has his heart set on adding Cribbs to the roster this season.
Arians was asked about Cribbs at the league meetings in Phoenix on Wednesday and said he envisions a big role for the former Browns wide receiver and kick returner. In addition to special teams work, Arians said that he thought Cribbs could help the Cardinals “become more dynamic” on offense in 2013. He talked about lining Cribbs up to take snaps or out of the backfield, but expressed the most interest in seeing Cribbs as a receiver.
“That’s the part I’d like to get my hands on to find out about,” Arians said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Get him out on the grass and see what his positives and his negatives are as a receiver. I know once he gets his hands on the football how dynamic he can be. It’s where do you put him to get his hands on the football.”
Cribbs’ agent J.R. Rickert said that his client actually passed his physical with the Cardinals, but that the team wanted to wait until he was healthy to sign him. That’s expected to be in about five weeks. Assuming it comes to pass, Cribbs looks like he’s in line for a bigger role than he had in Cleveland.