Cardinals sign rookies Victor Dimukeje, Tay Gowan; add FA TE Ross Travis
May 25, 2021, 1:28 PM | Updated: 1:30 pm
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Victor Dimukeje runs through drills during rookie minicamp Friday, May 14, 2021, in Tempe, Ariz. (Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)
(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)
The Arizona Cardinals locked in two more of their 2021 draft picks on Tuesday with linebacker Victor Dimukeje and cornerback Tay Gowan signing four-year deals.
Additionally, Arizona signed free agent tight end Ross Travis to a one-year contract. With the signing, the Cardinals’ 90-man roster is filled out.
The Cardinals have signed all of their 2021 draft class except for first-rounder Zaven Collins and second-rounder Rondale Moore.
The Cardinals used a pair of six-round picks on Dimukeje (No. 210) and Gowan (No. 223).
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Dimukeje begins his NFL career after spending four years at Duke. Named a starter his freshman year, the then-defensive end finished with 49 career starts. He combined for 16 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss in his final two seasons as a Blue Devil.
“Victor’s a guy that we liked for the past several months now out of Duke. Reminds us a little bit of Markus Golden when you look at the way he plays the game,” general manager Steve Keim said after drafting the linebacker.
“High motor, great intensity, around 6-foot-2, but has really long arms. Plays with great leverage and has some niftiness about him as a pass rusher.”
He joins an outside linebacker group that features Chandler Jones and Golden.
Gowan joins the Cardinals after playing one season at Central Florida before opting out in 2020 due to concerns over his daughter’s health and family’s well-being.
In 2019 (12 games), Gowan recorded two interceptions, eight pass deflections and 31 tackles. He allowed a 26.6 passer rating in single coverage since 2019, per Pro Football Focus.
“Tay Gowan is a guy who only played one year for Central Florida but at almost 6-foot-1, the guy ran in the 4.4s, he’s got great athleticism as well and he’s a really good press corner, so he fits what we do schematically,” Keim said on draft night.
Gowan joins a cornerback room that looks quite a bit different than it did in 2020.
With Patrick Peterson off to Minnesota and Dre Kirkpatrick a free agent, the Cardinals went out and added free agents Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford, as well as Gowan and fourth-rounder Marco Wilson, to work alongside Byron Murphy.
Travis adds another body to a tight end group looking for a playmaker.
The tight end played just one game with the New York Jets in 2020. Travis originally got his start with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2016.
He would go on to play for the Indianapolis Colts before joining the Jets. In four seasons (25 games), Travis has recorded 14 receptions for 142 yards.
With Dan Arnold now a Carolina Panther, there are reps up for grabs among a tight end group that includes Maxx Williams, Darrell Daniels and Ian Bunting.
Cary Angeline and Bruno Labelle were added this offseason as undrafted rookie free agents, while Bernhard Seikovits was allocated to the Cardinals through the International Player Pathway Program.
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