Cardinals should bring in former MLB player, Arizona native, for a workout

Dylan Cozens is leaving a pro baseball career behind to pursue a goal of making it to the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals should give him a look.

In 2020, the Arizona Cardinals finished the season with a total of 48 sacks, good enough to be the fourth-most in the NFL. However, the Cardinals will have to figure out how to rush the passer at a similar rate in 2021 without the help of Haason Reddick, who led the team in sacks last season, and signed with the Carolina Panthers back in March.

Arizona will be hoping the additions of J.J. Watt and rookie Zaven Collins, combined with the progression of linebacker Isaiah Simmons, will help them get to the quarterback just as much next season.

Pass rushers are also something a defense can never have too many of, which is why the Cardinals should consider bringing in an Arizona native who just decided to leave his life as a pro baseball player to pursue a playing career in the NFL.

Arizona Cardinals should give former baseball player a look

Back in 2012, Dylan Cozens from Paradise Valley, Arizona gave his commitment to play football at the University of Arizona as a defensive end.

A few months later, however, Cozens was selected in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, and he decided to pursue a career in professional baseball instead of suiting up for the Wildcats on the football field.

Fast forward to Tuesday and Cozens is now hanging up his baseball cleats after multiple years in the minor leagues and a brief stint in the majors to see if he can make it in the NFL. He spent his senior season at Chaparral High School in 2011 as a defensive end and he finished that year with 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss.

At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Cozens someone who could potentially have a ton of upside depending on where he lands.

The problem is that he’s already 27-years-old and unless he’s ready to play immediately, it’s going to be hard to convince a team to develop him when there’s a chance that he might not be able to make an impact until he’s 30-years-old.

Still, the Cardinals should at least consider bringing Cozens in for a workout to see if there is anything they can work with. He would probably love to play for his hometown team and if Arizona thinks he could help them sooner than later, then they might be willing to give him a shot.