Monti Ossenfort continues with defense in free agency with Justin Jones and Mack Wilson
By Brandon Ray
In the first few hours of the tampering period, the Arizona Cardinals were not super active but they have slowly been working. With making defense the main priority up to this point, Monti Ossenfort has brought in cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. Per Peter Schrager, the Cardinals land another defensive tackle in Justin Jones who was with the Chicago Bears last season.
Schrager reported that the deal is for 3 years and Jones will be getting over $30 million, with $19.75 million guaranteed. This is the second defensive line signing with Nichols, as Ossenfort is showing what he plans on fixing during this period.
Last season with the Bears, Jones set a career high in sacks (4.5), solo tackles (29) and QB hits (17). Jones comes into this defense with veteran presence and can help stuff the run, as well as provide a pass rush for Arizona. Jones had a great year with the Bears and now cashes in with Arizona.
In addition to getting Jones, Ian Rapoport reported that former Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson has agreed to a 3-year deal with the Cardinals where Wilson will earn $12.75 million. Wilson will come in and provide more veteran help in the linebacker room. He set a career high in sacks last year with 3.5 as well as 4 QB hits.
Ossenfort is showing us all that defense is the main priority and by bringing in these veterans, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis should be happy as this Arizona defense needs a huge improvement. It will be interesting to see what Ossenfort continues to do as free agency progresses. It would not be shocking to hear the Cardinals continuing to be aggressive in the defensive market, but eventually they will need to bring in veteran help on offense for Drew Petzing and Kyler Murray.