Fourth-year professional Kingsley Keke was brought to the desert to join the defensive line rotation of the Arizona Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals defense took a huge step backward last fall when J.J. Watt blew out his shoulder in Week 7. On Friday, the Cards made a move to improve the depth behind the team’s star defensive end.
Kingsley Keke, a fourth-year NFL professional, was signed to a one-year contract by the Cardinals front office. The 25-year-old will join a rotation of defensive linemen that includes Watt, Zach Allen, Leki Fotu, Rashard Lawrence, and Michael Dogbe. What exactly can Arizona fans expect to see out of the 6-foot-3, 288-pound Keke?
Last fall, Keke totaled 23 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Green Bay Packers. The Houston native appeared in 12 games and was credited with eight starts in 2021. In 2020, Keke racked up 21 tackles and four sacks in 15 contests (nine starts) for the Packers.
Arizona Cardinals defensive end is a former draft pick of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay acquired Keke during the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, using the 150th-overall choice on the young defender. A product of Texas A&M University, Keke registered 150 tackles (21 for a loss) and 12 sacks during his four campaigns with the Aggies.
Keke is familiar with Kyler Murray, the Cards’ Pro Bowl quarterback. The pair were teammates at Texas A&M back in 2015 before the dynamic signal-caller transferred to the University of Oklahoma in December of that year.
In September of 2020, Keke recorded the first two sacks of his pro career during a Green Bay victory over Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. His stint with the Packers came to an end this past January when he was released by the storied franchise.
One day after being cut by Green Bay, Keke was claimed off of the waiver wire by the Houston Texans. That union was short-lived, however, after he was sent packing by the Texans on May 3rd.