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Isaiah Simmons, Cardinals Rookies Arrive At Team Facility 

Contracts, agreed to earlier in the week, are finally signed

First-round pick Isaiah Simmons signs his first NFL contract Saturday.
First-round pick Isaiah Simmons signs his first NFL contract Saturday.

There are masks and testing protocols, but the Cardinals finally got their draft class into the team's Tempe facility and signing contracts Saturday.

The Cardinals had agreed to deals earlier this week with all the draft choices, but with the league and players ironing out their final differences Friday about how the season would be conducted while dealing with the coronavirus fallout, first-round pick Isaiah Simmons led the parade to official contracts.

Simmons went first as he virtually connected via Zoom with owner Michael Bidwill, and the process was repeated in the draft order: tackle Josh Jones, defensive tackle Leki Fotu, defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence, linebacker Evan Weaver and running back Eno Benjamin.

The players also met coach Kliff Kingsbury for the first time, a moment that would've occurred months ago if not for the pandemic.

The Cardinals have yet to officially announce their training camp schedule. Teams and players are following strict testing guidelines for the coronavirus, and there will be a lengthy strength and conditioning phase ramping up to any kind of football practice next month as players try to get in shape for a season that will not have any preseason games.

But with the NFC West getting a jolt Saturday -- the Seahawks traded for Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams -- and the rookies arriving, there was a sense of football after an offseason lost because of COVID-19.

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