Arizona Cardinals First Quarter Awards: The best offensive, defensive player, and rookie
By Sion Fawkes
Defensive Player of the First Quarter: Dennis Gardeck, EDGE
It’s been a season of redemption for a few players in their late 20s, and Dennis Gardeck has been no exception. Last night, I penned a piece on him, and the way he continues to exceed expectations, but Gardeck has done more than just put up decent numbers for IDP fantasy football players.
Entering the season, the Cardinals had no proven players on the pass rush. There was talent, no doubt, but no one next to Gardeck had logged over 7.0 sacks in a season. And to be fair, Gardeck did that in 2020 and had done little since.
This year, it’s been a different story, as Gardeck is slowly morphing into one of the NFL’s most elite pass rushers. And if you think that’s far-fetched, allow me to invoke a painful memory upon you in the name of James Harrison, who didn’t break out until 2007 at age 29. Like Gardeck, Harrison wasn’t very big, listed at just 6’0 tall, and 242 lbs, so no, this claim isn’t far-fetched in the slightest.