Longtime Ravens pass-rusher and 2011 defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs will join the Arizona Cardinals.
For most, the signing of Terrell Suggs comes as a surprise. He’s been a Raven since 2003 when he was drafted with the tenth pick in the first round and has signed multiple contracts with the Baltimore franchise since. But, Suggs in the purple and black is no more, as he will be returning to the desert for the 2019 season.
Last week, I wrote of Suggs and potentially C.J. Mosley’s interest in playing for the Arizona Cardinals. As of March 11th, 2019, part of that rumor becomes reality as per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the pass-rusher dubbed T-Sizzle will join the Cardinals.
This signing makes sense on both sides, as the 36-year-old considers Arizona his home, as he went to high school in Chandler, played college ball at Arizona State, and owns a home in Scottsdale.
Despite being 36-years-old, Suggs hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. The seven-time Pro-Bowler and 2011 defensive player of the year played 744 snaps in 2018. He accumulated 34 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, and 15 quarterback hits on the year.
Although the Cardinals already have a stout edge defender Chandler Jones on the roster, and could soon have Nick Bosa, adding Terrell Suggs to a defense that continues to get better is a good problem to have for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. In 2018, Suggs finished 21st amongst all NFL edge rushers in terms of pass-rushing grade, per Pro Football Focus.
At the minimum, Suggs will be used as a third-down pass rusher, similar to DeMarcus Ware when he was a Bronco. Not only would this role allow for Suggs to focus on what he does best, but it would also help preserve the final days of his career.
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