The Arizona Cardinals should build up the pass rush in the offseason
As the winter of discontent continues to brew in the desert, many questions remain over the effective of the Cardinals defense this past season. Under Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph, the Cardinals ranked near the bottom in all defensive statistics and the defensive unit was a major cause of many of the Cardinals season woes. That being said, an old coach once told me “you’re never as good as you think you are and never as bad as you think you are.”
The reality is this: the 2019 season is over. It’s now time to work on making changes to help the Cardinals turn around the franchise and make a playoff run in 2020.
Despite many pundits attaching Vance Joseph and wanting to see him part ways with the Cardinals organization, head coach Kliff Kingsbury has faith in him and if fans have faith in Kingsbury then they will take the wait-and-see approach to let Kingsbury fully develop his offensive and defensive systems. It’s time to take a look at how the Cardinals can bolster their pass defense for next season.
There are many available players in the upcoming NFL Draft who could have an immediate impact on the Cardinals defense and help complement the sack machine known as Chandler Jones. The first and obvious name that pops up as a “total package” edge rusher is Chase Young out of Ohio State.
However, before Cardinals fans start drooling over the possibility of Young playing for the Red Sea, the reality is this young man will probably be a Top 5 draft pick. With the Cardinals drafting at number 8 in the First Round, Young will probably go before the Cardinals can call his name.
Another viable option in the NFL Draft is Yetur Gross-Matos out of Penn State. A 6’5”, 265 lb. edge rusher who gushes athleticism and a projected 4.73 40 yard time but has problems in run defense, Gross-Matos may be more of a second round pick but should be on GM Steve Keim’s draft radar. Another great pick could be K’Lavon Chaisson out of LSU.
Having watched what Chaisson did chasing down Jalen Hurts in the Peach Bowl is enough to sell me on his ability to be a great pass rusher in a 3-4 system. That system is used by Vance Joseph and will be interesting to see what he does in the National Championship game against Clemson next week as well.