Arizona Cardinals camp preview: Defensive Line

Changing back to a 3-4 defensive scheme alters the landscape of the Arizona Cardinals defensive line in 2019

The pass rush for the Arizona Cardinals was already decent.  Now it just may get better with Chandler Jones moving back to linebacker.

Make room for some new players mixed in with some mainstays.  It will be fun to watch these guys develop as a whole over the next month and a half.

The Starters

The Cardinals went out and got defensive end Zach Allen from Boston College with the first pick of the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.  He may end up being one of the bigger steals of the draft.

Darius Philon may be one of the biggest pickups in free agency for the Cardinals.  He comes over from the Los Angeles Chargers and should come in as a starter on the end.

Defensive tackle may be a little more difficult to figure out.  Corey Peters figures to be challenged by Rodney Gunter.

The Backups

This leads us to the backups.  One of the top ones is Robert Nkemdiche, who has had a very disappointing offseason off the field.  His arrest in June for DUI could be problematic and could also be the last straw for the Cardinals.

He looked to be coming out of his shell and being more of a consistent performer last season and looked like one of the best tackles on the team at times.  However, at some point the team has to make a decision on whether it is worth it anymore dealing with all the issues on and off the field.

Terrell McClain was one of the more recent free agent signings.  He was with the Atlanta Falcons last season and now joins his sixth NFL team since joining the league in 2011.  He could also challenge for a starting spot.

The rest of the camp roster on the line includes Michael Dogbe, Immanuel Turner, Miles Brown, and Vincent Valentine.