Cardinals breakout candidates: S Jalen Thompson showed fast learning curve

Heading into the Arizona Cardinals’ expected start of training camp on July 28, let’s take a peek at the team’s potential breakout candidates — the guys who could come out of nowhere to give the team something surprising as we project their 2020 season.

The list, which we’re rolling out in no particular order, will include players yet to solidify themselves as NFL starters. While that is mostly made up of second-year pros, there are older vets included. We won’t touch on rookies because, well, they’ve yet to set expectations for themselves as pros.

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What Jalen Thompson went through as a supplemental draftee in 2019 will resemble the learning curve for rookies in this coronavirus-impaired offseason.

He thought he’d be playing college ball at Washington State in June 2019. By mid-July, he was a member of the Arizona Cardinals, thrown into the start of training camp without rookie camp or any OTAs to give him a clue of what to do.

Thompson, who turned 22 on Saturday, was the starting safety by the end of the year, playing more than 90% of the defensive snaps in five of the final seven games.

“J.T. … once the game came to him, it was so remarkable to see him flourish,” Patrick Peterson said on a May conference call. “To see him start to talk, to see his confidence level go through the roof through the back-half of the season as well.”

As 2019 went on, Thompson earned snaps ahead of fellow rookie and fifth-round pick Deionte Thompson, an Alabama product more in the mold of a true backend safety. Jalen’s coverage abilities stood out, and like Pro Bowl teammate Budda Baker, that won over the Cardinals’ coaching staff.

He earned the third-best Pro Football Focus coverage grade among rookie safeties, and that versatility is paramount for a defense that in ideal situations would love to flip-flop Baker and his fellow safety between playing deep and stepping up to jam and then defend tight ends on passing routes.

Thompson played in 15 games, finishing with 57 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed. Like Baker, he’s a missile in a small package at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds.

Obviously, the Cardinals couldn’t overload Thompson with too much early in the year considering he was behind his fellow rookies. The good news is he picked things up midway through the season once pushed into action due to a cut of D.J. Swearinger and a preseason injury to backup Josh Shaw.

“As our defense played better, he played better,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said this offseason. “Jalen’s first day [with] us was the first day of camp … up to Week 13, 14 he was still learning the defense. He obviously played good football late for us. He’s a great open-field tackler and he’s going to play the ball better.”

Thompson’s tackling stood out as a rookie. His coverage was there. Any mental gaffes were neither frequent nor backbreaking for his team. Moving forward, the ball extincts backed by the knowledge allowing him to take more risks should improve.

The Cardinals didn’t address their safety room this offseason beyond re-signing Charles Washington and Chris Banjo, a surprising thing in some regards. Joseph confirmed that was because of the confidence the team has in the Thompsons supporting Baker.

Baker, by the way, will be a free agent after the 2020 season, and it will be fascinating to see how the Cardinals address his contract needs.

Only a handful of safeties in the NFL make eight-figure annual deals. On one hand, they represent a relatively affordable position group. On the other, it means the Cardinals might not want to overspend.

Jalen Thompson having a good season will give Arizona insurance, regardless of Baker’s future. But if the second-year pro is ready to break out this year, it could give Baker and Joseph a chance to really get creative, changing the complexion of a defensive back group that, due to many things beyond youth, was regarded as one of the worst coverage units last season.

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