Would Jonathan Gannon be a good fit for the Arizona Cardinals?
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals added one more name to their list of candidates in Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon.
After we were led to believe either Mike Kafka or Lou Anarumo would land the gig to be the Arizona Cardinals next head coach, will the honor go to Jonathan Gannon instead? The Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator was a late addition to the Redbirds coaching search, as we only found out about his inclusion on Sunday morning.
So would Jonathan Gannon fit well with the Cardinals? One big yes is the fact he will have a young and talented defense to work with. If the Redbirds get Byron Murphy and Zach Allen back on board for 2023, then they will have a sound defensive end, two good corners, a dynamic tandem at safety, and potentially another at inside linebacker (when Isaiah Simmons plays the position).
With the third overall pick, either Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr. should be a shoo-in selection for the Cards, granting them a potentially-elite puzzle piece. This would play well into Gannon’s hands.
Would the Arizona Cardinals fare well with Jonathan Gannon?
Then there’s the fact he led the Eagles defense to a third-place finish in total defense, and eighth in the league with 344 points allowed. The Eagles also finished first in passing defense, so Gannon has definitely has some credentials here.
His Eagles also paced the NFL with 70 sacks, 15 more than the second-best team in the category, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles also had 168 pressures, which ranked second, and their 25.5% pressure percentage also finished in the runner-up category.
Even more remarkable? Philadelphia’s defense ranked in the middle of the league in blitz percentage at just 22.1%, having blitzed 146 times all season. Clearly, Gannon’s scheme could help the likes of Anderson (if the Cardinals draft him) do wonders for the defense.
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Overall, Gannon has definitely shown he can bring a sound, defense-first mentality to the desert. And with a slew of young Cardinals to work with, this defense can be “scary good” with someone like Gannon in charge.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)
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