Arizona Cardinals re-sign defensive tackle Josh Mauro
Jan 12, 2017, 3:36 PM
Arizona Cardinals defensive end Josh Mauro (97) enter the field before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Arizona Cardinals re-signed defensive tackle Josh Mauro to an undisclosed new contract on Thursday, per a press release from the team.
Mauro became a key part of the Cardinals defense last season, which ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed. He played in 15 games, making a career-best 13 starts and registered 42 tackles. In his previous two years with the Cardinals, Mauro only had six starts and 17 total tackles. In 2015, he added one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one sack.
Mauro, a 6-foot-6, 282-pound three-year veteran, played four seasons at Stanford. He racked up 51 tackles, 21.5 TFLs and 11 sacks in his collegiate career. In 2013, he was named an honorable mention to the All-Pac-12 team. In his last two years, Stanford won back-to-back conference championships.
The Steelers signed him to the practice squad as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Pittsburgh later released Mauro and stashed him on the practice squad. The Cardinals signed him to their active roster on Nov. 11, 2014.
After Dan Williams left for a contract with the Oakland Raiders, Mauro took the opportunity to start at nose tackle. While he was able to succeed working on the line of scrimmage, the Cardinals defense struggled against the run, raking 24th in yards allowed on the ground.
