Carlos Watkins ‘sees vision’ the Cardinals are aiming to achieve

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Carlos Watkins spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and very could have re-signed for a third this offseason.

But after meeting with Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis during free agency, Watkins knew his future was in the desert.

“Talking with JG and Rallis, I just see the vision and where it came from, too,” Watkins said Monday. “They understand a lot about football and what’s going on, especially for my position. I really saw the vision of what they were buying into. I really liked what they had going.”

The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder comes over to Arizona after spending the past two seasons in Dallas and another four in Houston, registering five sacks, 16 tackles for loss and an interception over those six seasons.

With 69 games played and 36 starts under his belt, he is one of the most experienced veterans in the group and is very much in the mix for playing time early on in his Cardinals career.

As it stands Tuesday, Watkins’ biggest competition are returners Rashard Lawrence and Leki Fotu, who both enter Year 4 needing to take another step. Fotu has steadily seen an increase in playing time year over year and should continue on that trend in 2023. The biggest thing for the lineman is becoming more consistent in his role.

Lawrence on the other hand just can’t stay healthy. Since entering the league in 2020, the lineman has played no more than 11 games due to injuries. This past season was especially tough for Lawrence, playing in just five games before a shoulder injury placed him on injured reserve. It appears he’s still on the mend, too, having not participated in organized team activities this offseason.

Watkins also brings leadership qualities he picked up along the way from a couple of Hall of Famers, one of which being former teammate and ex-Cardinal J.J. Watt.

“Playing behind guys like J.J. in Houston and DeMarcus Lawrence in Dallas and learning from those guys to finally get to a point where I’m the oldest in the room,” Watkins said. “I really take pride in making sure we all get better, including myself.

“I’m really a big fan of camaraderie,” the DL added. “The more I know you, the better I’m going to play for you. It’s like a brotherhood. That’s kind of what I wanted to bring in. We all got to be family if we want to win. I got to get to know these guys and what they’re good at, what they’re not, what they can or what they can’t handle.”

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