Dennis Gardeck is getting it done for the Arizona Cardinals defense

Longtime special teams ace Dennis Gardeck is proving to the Arizona Cardinals that he can be a vital part of the team’s defense.

When Dennis Gardeck came to the Arizona Cardinals back in 2018, the undrafted free agent was looked at primarily as a special teams ace. The 6 foot, 232 pounder was actually a linebacker by trade, but Gardeck’s contributions on defense were few and far between.

That all changed two years ago, after sack-specialist Chandler Jones suffered a season-ending knee injury. Gardeck was pressed into action as a Cardinals edge-rusher, and the results were spectacular.

Despite the fact that he was on the field for just 10% of Arizona’s defensive snaps in 2020, Gardeck somehow managed to rack up a more than respectable seven quarterback sacks. The Illinois native had found a role with the Cards, and the organization would be looking forward to much more production out of Gardeck in the years to come.

Arizona Cardinals defense is getting contributions out of Dennis Gardeck

This coming Sunday, the Redbirds will host an undefeated Philadelphia Eagles squad at State Farm Stadium. Gardeck and his teammates will be severely challenged by a red-hot Eagles scoring attack, led by signal-caller Jalen Hurts. The two clubs last met in December of ’20, and the matchup was quite a memorable one for the charismatic Gardeck.

Gardeck was almost unblockable that day during Arizona’s 33-26 victory over the Eagles. He posted an outstanding stat line that read two sacks, five solo tackles (two for a loss) and a pair of quarterback hits. And then disaster struck.

Late in the contest, Gardeck suffered a torn ACL that would sideline him for the Cardinals’ final two games. He returned after a grueling rehab last season, but his numbers were disappointing to say the least. In 14 appearances (three starts), Gardeck tallied just 23 tackles and zero sacks for coordinator Vance Joseph’s defensive unit.

The 28-year old Gardeck appears to be getting back on track in 2022. During last week’s triumph over the Carolina Panthers, the veteran recorded his first sack of the year. Gardeck also intercepted a tipped pass (courtesy of J.J. Watt) in the final quarter, setting up a crucial Kyler Murray touchdown just two plays later.

Arizona has to be thrilled with Gardeck’s outstanding effort against the Panthers in week 4. A repeat performance this coming weekend versus Philadelphia would be greatly appreciated.

(Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference and ESPN’s NFL Scores)