Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin has admitted that he was surprised that the Oakland Raiders did not use their franchise tag on left tackle Jared Veldheer.

Veldheer was swiftly picked up by the Cardinals upon his release, and Goodwin is looking forward to pairing him alongside Carson Palmer in the 2014 season.

"He's a guy you watch on film, he very seldom gets beat," Goodwin told Arizona Republic. "I think the comfort level between him and Carson, having played together, is going to be huge.

"I also think he'll bring a leadership role to the room. He's a guy who is no nonsense and not afraid to get a little physical in practice or on the field."

Veldheer played for the Raiders for four seasons before joining the Cardinals.