3 new Cardinals players who will be upgrades in 2024
By Brandon Ray
2.) DT Justin Jones
One of the biggest signings that Monti Ossenfort made in free agency was acquiring defensive tackle Justin Jones who last played with the Chicago Bears. Jones received a three-year, $30 million deal with $19.75 million guaranteed. This came after the Cardinals had signed defensive tackle Bilal Nichols (also to a three-year deal). Jones had a career year with the Bears in 2023, specifically in sacks, solo tackles and QB hits.
Adding Jones to this defensive line of Arizona is a massive upgrade when you look at how the Cardinals’ run defense was among the worst in the league last year. On average, the Cardinals’ run defense was giving up over 140 rushing yards per game so getting a run stopper in Jones (who can also apply a pass rush in the interior) upgrades the defense immediately. Even if he does not put up the numbers on the stat sheet, Cardinals fans need to watch how he plays because he could create a mess in the middle of the line to create space for a linebacker to fly in and make a play at the line of scrimmage.