Top 4 Arizona Cardinals who may not be sticking around in 2023
By Jim Koch
Dennis Gardeck - Outside linebacker
Back in March of last year, the Cardinals signed outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck to a three-year, $10 million contract. The deal was a bit rich, especially for a player who's main contributions have been on special teams. Apparently, Gardeck may have been rewarded for a past performance.
Arizona thought they struck gold back in '20 when Gardeck suddenly emerged as an edge-rusher. Filling in for an injured Chandler Jones, the 6 foot, 232 pounder racked up seven sacks in a limited amount of playing time. The Cards were thrilled, but Gardeck ended the campaign on a sour note when he suffered a torn ACL late in that season.
Gardeck hasn't been the same since that setback, but that didn't stop Keim from handing the special-teams ace a lucrative extension. Just one of many blunders that propelled Bidwill to take action this past January. Ossenfort will likely correct the Gardeck mistake by cutting ties with the charismatic 28-year-old sometime in the near future.