Arizona Cardinals’ defensive depth could be a problem
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals have some impressive starters on their defensive unit, but the backup defenders may not be up to par
It’s quite apparent that the Arizona Cardinals have some top-flight starters on their defense. There are components of the unit that are Pro Bowl-material. Many of the first-stringers are returning from a group that ranked sixth in the NFL in 2017.
The backup defenders are another story. Injuries are a common occurrence in football, and the Cardinals may not have the horses to deal with such a problem. It wasn’t long ago that even the squad’s second-string defensive pieces contained both talent and experience.
Arizona’s defensive line may have the most question marks. A transition to a 4-3 alignment has changed the position of a couple of former outside linebackers. Chandler Jones and Markus Golden are now the team’s starting defensive ends, while Corey Peters and Olsen Pierre will man the tackle spots.
Behind those four is nothing but uncertainty. Rodney Gunter played well as a fill-in for Peters as a rookie, but has been just average ever since. Robert Nkemdiche has severely underachieved, and honestly can’t be counted on for much.
Benson Mayowa was brought in from the Dallas Cowboys to help with the pass rush. Moubarak Djeri starred for the Cologne Crocodiles of the German Football League, but is obviously a project. Names like Pasoni Tasini, Praise Martin-Oguike, Alec James and Owen Obasuyi make up the rest of the unimpressive contingent.
The Cards basically have three good linebackers (Deone Bucannon, Josh Bynes, Haason Reddick), and not much behind them on the bench. Scooby Wright is the most-recognized of the backup candidates, but is primarily a special-teamer. The rest of the faction includes unknown ‘backers such as Bryson Albright, Dennis Gardeck, Vontarrius Dora, Frank Ginda, Edmond Robinson, Jeremy Cash, Mike Needham and Matthew Oplinger.
There are a bunch of cornerbacks behind the starters, Patrick Peterson and Jamar Taylor, but none have logged much playing time in the league. Bene Benwikere has 14 career starts under his belt from his days as a Carolina Panther (2014-16). The remaining cover guys are the inexperienced Chris Campbell, Lou Young, Jonathan Moxey, Tavierre Thomas, Elijha Battle and Deatrick Nichols.
The depth at safety isn’t any better. Behind Antoine Bethea and Budda Baker sit Rudy Ford, Zeke Turner, A.J. Howard and Jonathan Owens. None of those four are draped in NFL experience, either.
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It’s pretty obvious that the Cardinals’ depth on defense is painfully thin. There is time for general manager Steve Keim to add some reinforcements, however. Disaster could be just an injury or two away.