The Arizona Cardinals are 1-8, but they have seen their fair share of surprises so far in 2023 that could continue to impress in the season’s second half.
Despite their meager 1-8 record, it doesn’t mean the Arizona Cardinals haven’t had a few pleasant surprises in 2023. Sure, the games have been tough to watch, especially that last one in what was a historic meltdown offensively.
But how many brutal games do you watch and say, “Well, at least the defense played a decent game”? Rarely happens, right? But that’s exactly the “surprise” element this past Sunday, and there are a few more surprises for the Cards across the first nine games of the season.
Two of those surprises have come on defense, and another comprises some of the team’s youngest players. So without further word, let’s check out the three most pleasant surprises of the 2023 Arizona Cardinals.
3 biggest surprises for the Arizona Cardinals in 2023
1 - Pass rush
The Arizona Cardinals pass rush did not contain an elite EDGE rusher, yet they have been one of the few bright spots on this 1-8 team. While the Cardinals don’t blitz often, logging just a blitz percentage of 21.0 per dropback, they have still picked up 25 sacks, which is 10th in the league as of Thursday afternoon.
And it hasn’t just been one player stepping up, but a collective effort among the rotation. So far, a dozen different Redbirds have recorded at least a half-sack, with Dennis Gardeck and Victor Dimukeje leading the way with 4.0 sacks apiece.
The Cardinals EDGE rushers have also been invading the backfield often, with Gardeck and converted linebacker Zaven Collins recording six and five tackles for loss, respectively. If the Cards can get more growth from rookie BJ Ojulari, and if Collins can show some improvement during the second half of the season, this group will be good for a while.
2 - Rookie class
During the Steve Keim years, there weren’t many standout rookies on the Arizona Cardinals, but the Monti Ossenfort era seemingly changed that in a half-season. Paris Johnson Jr. quickly became a “set and forget” piece to an offensive line that badly needed talent while third-round pick Michael Wilson has given us every implication that the WR2 position is his floor.
BJ Ojulari and Garrett Williams were two players who needed time to recover from injuries, and both have been at least respectable when called upon. Kei’Trel Clark didn’t look good as a starter, but considering his status as a sixth-round pick, he more than held his own in five starts and could provide depth in the future.
Dante Stills and Emari Demercado are perhaps the two biggest surprises, with the former logging three starts in eight games. Stills struggled early, but since Week 5, he has been a pivotal piece, logging 2.5 sacks, four tackles behind the line, and four quarterback hits. Demercado was not drafted, but has proven to be a solid pickup following the NFL draft given his production at running back.
3 - Defensive line
Speaking of which, the defensive line has surprisingly held up better than everyone thought, even with a pair of projected starters or high-end role players shelved for the season. We already discussed Stills, but even guys like Leki Fotu have put up serviceable numbers, with the fourth-year defensive tackle tallying 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit.
Roy Lopez joined the Arizona Cardinals when the team needed to bolster its thin depth on the line, and he may have a future as a solid rotational piece. Kevin Strong has also been a sound contributor, and he may also have a future in the desert as a role slash rotational player along with Jonathan Ledbetter.
While the Redbirds defensive line that you see today probably lacks future full-time starters sans Dante Stills, all the aforementioned names have shown they can at least spot start if injuries hit the position hard. And that’s far more than we expected out of this group in 2023, so let’s hope they can keep it up.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)