Grantland: Arizona Cardinals’ biggest need is a pass-rusher
Apr 13, 2015, 7:05 PM | Updated: 7:05 pm
The NFL draft is less than three weeks away, and the Arizona Cardinals own the 24th pick. Many draft trackers have them choosing a running back, but Grantland’s Bill Barnwell says the Cardinals have a bigger need at a different position.
Arizona Cardinals
Biggest Need: Pass-rusher
Other Needs: RB, C, NT
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest the Cardinals should have been in pursuit of a pass-rusher during each of the last three offseasons. They’ve managed to succeed without one, but the people who helped them do so aren’t around anymore. In 2013, they got a final gasp from John Abraham, who delivered 11.5 sacks at the age of 35. In 2014, with Abraham missing virtually the entire season, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles went with a defensive-back-heavy approach and blitzed on 43.1 percent of opposing dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the league. The creative Bowles left in January to take over as head coach of the Jets, leaving Arizona back in the pass-rushing weeds.
The Cardinals had 35 sacks as a team last season, which was good for 24th in the league. It was a big drop-off from the year before in which they had 47 sacks. Last year, just three players had more than two sacks. Alex Okafor had eight, Calais Campbell tallied seven and Frostee Rucker finished with five.
In free agency, the Cardinals picked up some defensive help. They signed defensive linemen Corey Peters and Cory Redding, and also added linebackers Sean Weatherspoon and LaMarr Woodley. But history suggests those players won’t exactly help pressure the quarterback. None of them have had more than five sacks in a season since 2011, and besides Woodley, none have had more than eight sacks in a season. Weatherspoon and Woodley didn’t even record a single sack last year, thanks to injuries. So, the draft may be the best option for immediate pass-rushing improvement.
On Sunday, the Cardinals met with pass-rushing prospect Randy Gregory. The defensive end had 17.5 sacks and 120 total tackles the last two seasons.
Other pass-rushing prospects the Cardinals have been linked to in the draft tracker are Kentucky’s Alvin “Bud” Dupree and Virginia’s Eli Harold. Both of them had at least seven sacks each of the last two seasons.
