Depth on Arizona Cardinals’ defensive line impressive
By Jim Koch
With an outstanding array of veterans and youth on the defensive line, the Arizona Cardinals have tough roster decisions ahead
One position the Arizona Cardinals weren’t concerned about this offseason was the defensive line. Even though they did take a defensive lineman with their first-round draft pick, DT Robert Nkemdiche, it was more a case of taking the best player available rather than drafting for need.
Still, the drafting of Nkemdiche created even more of a logjam at defensive line than they had before the pick. It’s actually a nice “problem ” to have, one that any NFL team would wish for.
An unknown at this point is how many lineman do they keep. There are currently ten battling at training camp and nine out of the ten have played significant snaps with the club.
As of now, only three of the ten appear to have guaranteed spots. Calais Campbell, Rodney Gunter and Nkemdiche are going nowhere.
The next safest is most likely Corey Peters. The team made an investment in him last year and, to this point, have gotten zero in return from the veteran due to an Achilles injury he suffered. The coaching staff would love for him to take over at nose tackle and allow Gunter to go back to his natural position at end.
Besides Gunter, the remaining youngsters of the group are Ed Stinson, Josh Mauro, Xavier Williams and Olsen Pierre. Stinson, Mauro and Williams have all flashed potential but none of the three appear to be headed for stardom. Pierre is most likely headed for either the practice squad or the waiver wire.
Frostee Rucker is an interesting case. While his leadership in the locker room is unquestioned, his play did slip some last season. Combine that with the fact that he’s coming off of ankle surgery, maybe it’s not unreasonable to believe his spot could be given to one of the young bucks.
Another veteran possibly on the roster bubble is Red Bryant. Although his best days may be behind him, he too brings a leadership quality to the Cardinals. He has battled discomfort in his Achilles thus far in camp and his spot on the final roster is anything but assured.