Arizona Cardinals 2020: Team awards
By Scott Allen
Most pleasant surprise
The candidates are linebacker Haason Reddick, linebacker Dennis Gardeck, defensive end Markus Golden, and receiver Christian Kirk.
Giving this a tie. I think it is safe to say we saw the potential in Reddick when he was drafted. The Cardinals certainly did.
However two years ago his status with the team was in question. Still, he produced. However there are two players that were pleasant surprises.
Gardeck we already saw as a spirited special teams player. However the Cardinals linebacker got his first snaps on defense this season, mostly out of necessity.
He did not disappoint. Before his season ended prematurely due to injury, he had 7 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. His post tackle celebrations showed his pure passion for the game.
Also a pleasant surprise was the return of Golden. After leaving the Cardinals he was brought back by general manager Steve Keim.
He spent the first 7 games with the New York Giants. Then the Cardinals got him in a trade for the final 9 games of the season. He had 23 tackles, including 3 sacks and a forced fumble and recovery for the Cardinals.