Arizona Cardinals may have eliminated their tight end issues

The additions of De’Vondre Campbell and Isaiah Simmons may put the Arizona Cardinals issues with covering tight ends to rest

For the better part of last season, the Arizona Cardinals defense was manhandled by the opposition. Week after week, the unit struggled to keep opposing offenses off of the scoreboard. The most glaring issue with coordinator Vance Joseph‘s group was their inability to cover tight ends, a weakness that was exploited consistently throughout the entire campaign.

Realizing that they had a huge problem on their hands, Arizona’s front office took steps to address the situation this offseason. The club’s personnel department acquired not one, but two defenders who can help alleviate the tight end dilemma. In fact, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim landed a pair of players who have actually excelled in that particular area in the past.

Back in March, the Cards signed free agent De’Vondre Campbell to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. The inside linebacker, who spent the first four years of his pro career with the Atlanta Falcons, happens to specialize at sticking to the NFL’s tight ends like glue. In a videoconference with reporters this past week, Campbell stated confidently that he “can successfully cover any tight end in the league”.

Perhaps not wanting to place all of their eggs into one basket, Arizona added yet another inside linebacker who’s quite adept at shutting down those who play that position. Isaiah Simmons, much to the organization’s surprise, was still available when they made their first-round draft selection last month. The Clemson University product has both the size (6’4,238) and speed (4.39 second 40-yard dash) to make life miserable for any tight end in professional football.

Tight ends burned the Cardinals for 16 touchdowns in 2019, a total that was by far the most in the NFL. Joseph’s bunch also yielded four 100 yard-plus performances to the position, which was also tops in the league. The Cards are hoping that the presence of Campbell and Simmons will dramatically reduce those numbers in 2020.