Arizona Cardinals should do everything they can to keep Zach Allen around

The blossoming free agent could become a fixture on the Arizona Cardinals defensive line for many years to come.

Fans of the Arizona Cardinals are under the assumption that the squad will look drastically different in 2023. Monti Ossenfort, the club's first-year general manager, will almost certainly want to put his own stamp on the team.

While a revamping of the Cards 2022 roster is expected, Ossenfort should also want to retain any of the in-house free agents who are worth keeping. Zach Allen, a defensive end who's preparing to hit the open market, should not be permitted to leave. Whether Arizona's current regime agrees with that sentiment remains to be seen.

Despite the fact that he missed four games last season, Allen is coming off of the finest campaign of his four-year NFL career. In his 13 starts, the 6 foot 4, 281 pounder totaled 47 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits for the Cardinals defense. Allen also showed he can be one of the most disruptive forces in the league by swatting down an impressive eight passes at the line of scrimmage.

Allen definitely benefited from playing alongside the great J.J. Watt on Arizona's defensive front. That will no longer be possible, due to the fact that the 33-year-old Watt has decided to hang up the cleats. Nevertheless, the knowledge that he gained from taking the field with the future Hall of Famer is something that Allen can profit from in the future.

Arizona Cardinals must do everything in their power to keep Zach Allen

Most observers are under the impression that Redbirds head coach Jonathan Gannon will be implementing a 4-3 defense. That will be new for Allen, who has performed in a 3-4 alignment during all four of his years in the desert. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that the former Boston College product can excel in whatever system he's a part of.

Rumor has it that former Cards defensive coordinator Vance Joseph would like Allen to join him with the Denver Broncos. There's also a very good possibility that Denver won't be the only suitor for the former Boston College product. Will Ossenfort be willing to get into a bidding war for the 25-year-old Allen?

Working against Allen in any negotiations is his injury-prone body. The former third-round draft pick has missed a total of 21 matchups since he turned professional back in 2019. Whoever signs him will need to overlook that one red flag, and trust that Allen will remain healthy going forward.

In all honesty, Arizona should be the franchise that gets Allen under contract. The Connecticut native's sensational talent supercedes whatever injury history he has. If he doesn't already know it, Ossenfort needs to be made aware of that fact as quickly as possible.

(Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference)