The NFL offseason can feel like a six-month withdrawal from a beloved sport, but it also gives us a chance to look closely at why certain teams failed or succeeded in the previous season.
The Arizona Cardinals disappointed yet again in 2024, missing out on the playoffs for the third year in a row. While it's easy to blame Arizona's shortcomings on Kyler Murray's inconsistency or Marvin Harrison Jr.'s failure to live up to expectations, one key statistic shows exactly why the Cardinals struggled last season.
Key statistic reveals the reason Cardinals signed Dalvin Tomlinson
There's no denying that the Arizona Cardinals lacked talent on defense in 2024. Head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis were creative with the tools they had, but the ceiling of the unit was limited.
We know that the defense was bad, but this stat shows just how bad.
The Cardinals ranked dead last in the NFL in defensive success rate in likely rushing situations in 2024 at just about 50%, per SumerSports.
Dead last. That means that the Cardinals couldn't stop opposing teams from running the ball, even when they knew it was coming. It's an atrocious statistic, but it explains why Arizona struggled so much on defense last season. Opposing offenses could dictate the flow of the game against Arizona, running the ball whenever they wanted to.
Look at it this way: If an opposing offense chose to run the ball against the Cardinals on first down, there was about a 50% chance that they would gain at least four yards. Then, it's second down with six yards to go, and the offense can call any play in the playbook. The Cardinals are already on their heels.
A stout run defense, on the other hand, can consistently force offenses into third down situations where they are forced to pass.
While there are plenty of factors here, the main takeaway is that the Cardinals simply didn't have the players to stop opponents from winning at the line of scrimmage.
Good news: they fixed that problem this offseason.
Arizona completely flipped their defensive front, adding a mix of proven veterans and high-ceiling rookies. Big names like Josh Sweat and Walter Nolen will steal the headlines, but defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson might be the most important addition the Cardinals made this offseason.
The Cardinals signed Dalvin Tomlinson to a two-year contract worth $29 million in free agency. If he fills the role that they signed him to play, he'll be worth every penny.
At 6'3" and 325 pounds, Tomlinson is a force in the middle of the defensive front. He was a key piece of the Cleveland Browns' run defense, making six tackles for loss in 2024.
In defensive success rate in likely rushing situations (the same stat that the Cardinals ranked last in), the Browns ranked second in the NFL.
Dalvin Tomlinson could end up making more of an impact than any other Cardinals defender in 2025.