Arizona Cardinals training camp battles: Defensive line

Arizona Cardinals training camp is here, with players beginning practice Wednesday. Along with it come positional battles that’ll help shape the team.

This time around, there’s no shortage of competition following an offseason of roster revamping and plenty of impactful roles up for grabs. As defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said last week, having to make those tough roster decisions is a good problem to have.

Last but certainly not least in this seven-part series is the defensive line, where a number of candidates are in line to make an impact.

Cardinals training camp battles: Defensive line

Along with cornerback, reconfiguring the defensive line makeup was high on the priority list for general manager Monti Ossenfort and Co.

For as good as the Cardinals were running the rock in 2023, it was the complete opposite trying to defend it. Arizona was dead last in the league against the run last year, allowing 143.2 yards per game. It came in 28th for touchdowns given up with 19.

And that’s not mentioning the injuries the room sustained throughout the year.

A good way to buck those trends? Add more talent to the roster through free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.

On top of bringing in veteran free agents Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, who enter their first year in Arizona with an already solidified bond, the Cardinals added Darius Robinson in the draft.

Despite having not registered a snap as a Cardinal, those three automatically shoot up the depth chart as names to watch thanks to the price tags they came aboard with.

Jones and Nichols each signed three-year deals, two of the longest contracts handed out by Ossenfort since he took over. Robinson was the 27th overall pick in the draft.

Jones comes over after his best season as a pro, racking up 4.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, four passes defensed and 17 QB hits across 17 starts for the Chicago Bears.

In his final season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Nichols registered 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, a pass defensed and two QB hits.

The caveat to watch with these two, however, is how much they can improve their run defense.

According to Pro Football Focus — which should be taken with a grain of salt — Jones put up sub-50 grades against the run in each of his past two seasons with Chicago.

Nichols meanwhile didn’t see a grade above 55.5 the previous two years in Las Vegas.

Scheme and usage could play a part in those lower marks, as each posted run grades in the 70s earlier in their careers.

As for Robinson, the biggest thing on his plate is making sure he’s got the playbook down pat, because given his versatility, football IQ and sheer size, it’s going to be hard keeping him off the field.

After racking up 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as an interior lineman in 2022, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Robinson worked off the edge in his final season at Missouri. By the end of 2023, Robinson had amassed 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Those were top five marks in the SEC.

Now in Arizona, the versatility Robinson showed in college has many under the belief that he’ll have multiple roles across the defensive line.

“He’s a force to be reckoned with for sure,” pass rusher Dennis Gardeck said on July 9. “He’s fun to be around. It’s refreshing to get guys who are eager to learn like, ‘Hey, I just want to get better. I want to be in the NFL and be a great player.’

“I get that same vibe (from offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr.). It’s cool. I’m hoping we can work together and do some things this year.”

“He’s a force to be reckoned with for sure.”

Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Dennis Gardeck on Tuesday spoke very highly of rookie DL Darius Robinson and his eagerness to learn. #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/Mxfw55IKY0

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 9, 2024

And unlike his veteran counterparts, Robinson is coming off back-to-back seasons of run defense grades of at least 78.7. It’s a different level of competition, but a good sign for what’s to come.

But for as much as the new guys have gotten their due, there’s one returning Cardinal that rightfully deserves his: second-year pro Dante Stills.

Filling in due to injuries last season, the 2023 sixth-round pick ended up with 3.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and five QB hits in 15 games played (eight starts).

He returned to early offseason work noticeably bulked up.

Stills also posted one of the best run defense grades among the team with a 60.1 mark, good enough for seventh in PFF’s calculation.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon wasn’t shy about his thoughts on Stills last year, either.

“If you want to talk from improvement to when he got here as a rookie to where he is now, I don’t know if there’s a guy that’s made a bigger jump than him out of our rookie class,” Gannon said this past November.

Final verdict

Jones and Nichols are projected to start entering camp. If they can alleviate the run defense questions between now and the start of the regular season, they should be key pieces.

That being said, Robinson and Stills are going to push for added playing time right off the bat in a unit that thrives on rotation and needs some legit run-stoppers in the trenches.

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