The Arizona defense was bad in 2022, so they threw everything out and started over with a new coaching staff and a new scheme. There is almost always a learning curve as a team transitions its personnel and figures out where everyone fits, but last year’s Cardinals defense was more like a Chinese fire drill. While injuries were a contributing factor, it simply didn’t look like everyone was on the same page most of the time.
The statistical results paint a pretty accurate picture of just how bad it was. The pass defense was 27th in yards per attempt and 31st in completion percentage. Only the Eagles and Commanders allowed more points through the air while only the Bears and Panthers recorded fewer sacks. They were not any better versus the run, finishing 29th in yards per carry, dead last in rush yards allowed and 28th in points surrendered on the ground. The Cardinals’ eleven interceptions were respectable but only the Panthers and Rams recovered fewer opponents’ fumbles.
At this point, we are still not sure what the scheme is supposed to look like. There was talk last season about a shift toward more 4-3 looks. That didn’t seem to happen in 2023. Was that by design or simply because the personnel would not allow for it? With as many as ten new faces likely having defensive roles, that question remains going into 2024.
Defensive Line
With Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator, the 2022 Eagles led the league with 70 sacks. Gannon was supposed to bring some of that production with him yet his Cardinals could manage a frustration 33 last year. That goes to show that no scheme works with the horses to get the job done. This year’s Cardinal will have a whole new stable of horses to work with. Ten defensive tackles saw action for the Cardinals last season. Four of the top five in snap count, are no longer with the team.
As we approach training camp, the projected starters at tackle are former Viking Khyiris Tonga on the nose, with former Raiders Bilal Nichols and former Bear Justin Jones at the tackles. None of these players have much to offer IDP managers but they are all three quality veteran starters who could help the Cardinals get back on the right path.
The new faces at tackle should go a long way toward improving the run defense but this team remains in dire need of an infusion of pass rush talent. Dennis Gardeck led the team with six sacks in 2023. No one else on the roster has ever recorded more than five in any season. The organization is counting on first-round pick, Darius Robinson, to change that. The question for IDP managers is what will his positional designation be?
Robinson is a physically gifted player who in some ways, reminds some of former Cardinal and future Hall of Famer Calais Campbell. Robinson has superior quickness and upper body strength to jamb and shed blockers at the point of attack. He is tall at six-five, with long arms to leverage blockers and obstruct passing lanes. Robinson is not a great up-field speed rusher off the edge, relying on strength and physicality to make up for a lack of technique and polished moves. Some good coaching should go a long way in this area.
Robinson’s physical attributes give the coaching staff options. He can be successful working on the edge in a 4-3 on early downs and shifting inside to rush the passer, or he would be a great fit as a three-technique tackle in a 3-4. He would probably be a better fit as a tackle but the team’s biggest need is on the edge so that is where he will probably work, at least for now.
His college production was good but not eye-catching. In 25 games as a starter for Missouri over the last two seasons, Robinson totaled 54 tackles, 78 assists, 8.5 sacks, and a pair of turnovers on fumbles. He should put up good tackle totals right out of the gate and has a chance to be special.
Zaven Collins will continue to start on the edge. The former first-round pick (2021) has been disappointing early in his career. He flopped when the previous regime tried to make him an off-ball linebacker. Unlike his predecessor Haason Reddick who followed the same path to success, Collins has not been much better since moving to the edge. This could be a make-or-break fourth season for him.
The coaching staff expects a big step from last year’s second-round pick, BJ Ojulari. He had a somewhat quiet rookie campaign but showed steady improvement and signs of high potential. He started slowly but by mid-season, Ojulari was playing roughly half of the snap each week. He totaled four sacks as a rookie and should be a much bigger factor in your two. That said; don’t count on him stepping up enough to be an IDP factor. Believe it when you see it.
Edge Zaven Collins – Marginal IDP value at best
Edge B.J. Ojulari – Watch list prospect with limited potential
Edge Xavier Thomas – Developmental rookie
Edge Victor Dimukeje – No impact
Edge Dennis Gardeck – Marginal potential
Edge Cameron Thomas – No impact
Edge/DT Darius Robinson – Good tackle totals likely with big long-term potential
DT Bilal Nichols – No impact expected
DT Justin Jones – Marginal impact at best
DT Khyiris Tonga – No impact
Linebacker
At best, the Cardinals linebacker position is thin and comes with a lot of questions. It is not without IDP value, however. Kyzir White is set as one of the starters. He is a solid veteran player and a proven fantasy commodity. Injuries have been a problem for him at times but when he is healthy, he is productive. White was the fantasy game’s thirteenth-ranked linebacker after week ten of last season. In week eleven he suffered a torn biceps and was lost for the season.
As a former safety, White has good speed and cover skills so there is no question that he will be on the field in all situations. He makes a lot of tackles and has good week-to-week consistency, but with six takeaways and four sacks over his six seasons in the league, White tends to be a little light on the big play side. Marginal splash play upside and his tendency to spend too much time with the trainer will cause White to slide in drafts. He can often be picked up at a bargain price in the LB4 range.
Beyond White, there are no sure things at linebacker in Arizona. Holdover Krys Barnes has shown the ability to be productive when the opportunity presents itself but is usually deployed as a two-down run stopper. Mack Wilson comes over from the Patriots and will be in the mix for a starting spot, at least until the coaching staff realizes as the Browns and Patriots did, that he’s not an NFL starter. If there is another linebacker in the group with IDP potential, it is second-year pro, Owen Pappoe. It’s not that there are high expectations for him; it’s just that we know what the Cardinals have in Barnes and Wilson.
ILB Kyzir White – Target as a low-end LB3 or priority LB4
ILB Owen Pappoe – Watch list sleeper
ILB Krys Barnes – Potential depth
ILB Mack Wilson – Marginal impact expected
ILB Marcus Bailey – Special teams ace
Defensive Back
Arizona addressed their defensive line in round one. In rounds two, three, and four it was the secondary that got the attention with the picks of corners Max Melton and Elijah Jones, and safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. The team hit the corner position again in round seven with Jaden Davis. Those additions along with the signing of Sean Murphy-Bunting, will give the Arizona secondary a significantly younger look.
Being the team’s most experienced corner and a quality cover man, Murphy-Bunting projects as one of the starters. The rookies, along with second-year man Garrett Williams, are set to compete to establish the rest of the pecking order. None of Arizona’s corners gave us IDP value last year. That fact might have more to do with the revolving door at the position than the production of the individuals. Six players started games but no one started more than eleven of them.
There is no way to tell at this stage if any of the corners will step up for us. The safety positions, however, are a different story. For the first time in his seven years as a pro, Budda Baker failed to record a turnover, sack, or even a pass breakup in 2023. He did, however, post his normal, strong tackle totals with 87 combined stops in 12 games. Baker has been a perennial stud throughout his career finishing as the number four safety as recently as 2022. The team is going to struggle, their linebacker position is questionable, and Baker is a healthy 28-year-old at the top of his game. A return to the top ten seems likely.
Jalen Thompson has never made the top ten but had he not missed a pair of games last year, would have landed in the top 15 in each of the last three seasons. He is strong in run support, good in coverage, and will contribute in the big play columns. Thompson’s four interceptions last season were a career best and he has 24 pass breakups over the last three years as well. He is consistent, dependable, and only 26 years old with two years left on his contract. This just might be his first top-ten season.
Thompson will be around for a couple of years but Baker is in the final year of his contract. This might be why the Cardinals picked up Darion Taylor-Demerson. The rookie did not have great workout numbers and his measurable are not going to impress anyone, but his film might. He is instinctive with strong ball skills and has the versatility to man either safety position. Versatility and a high football IQ are what make Baker stand out. With a year to gain experience before he is called upon, Taylor-Demerson is a good insurance policy in case Baker’s asking price is too high. Slip the rookie onto your taxi squad if you have room.
S Budda Baker – Dependable stud with top-5 expectations
S Jalen Thompson – Solid second starter
S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson – Dynasty target
S Andre Chachere – No impact expected
CB Garrett Williams – Watch list guy at best
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting – Marginal IDP value
CB Max Melton – Rookie corner rule could be in play
CB Kei’Trel Clark – No impact anticipated
CB Starling Thomas – No impact
CB Elijah Jones – Rookie project
That’s a wrap for part five. Next up, San Francisco.
Enjoy this article? Find more from John here.