3 edge rushers who can step up for the Cardinals in 2021

Who should the Arizona Cardinals turn to in case they need to make up for the loss of a top pass rusher like Chandler Jones again in 2021?

In 2020, the Arizona Cardinals lost top edge rusher, Chandler Jones for the majority of the season. But there are a lot of what-ifs surrounding Jones this year, who is unhappy with his current contract situation. Last season, the Cardinals got around this with Haason Reddick, who posted 12.5 sacks before walking away in free agency to the Carolina Panthers.

If Arizona loses Jones either to a holdout or if they outright trade him, they need someone to, once again, step up to the plate. Sure, signing J.J. Watt helps, and ditto for drafting Zaven Collins, even if his NFL career did not get off to an ideal start with his recent arrest.

So let’s assume the worst and hope for the best regarding Jones. Ideally, we’d like to see him return to the Cardinals and have a repeat of 2019 when he posted 19 sacks. But if Arizona loses Jones again during the upcoming season, who do they have in reserve now that Reddick’s gone?

Let’s go over three potential fill-ins for Jones and see how they can replace one of the league’s premier pass rushers if needed for Arizona in 2021.