Top 4 free-agent veterans who can help the Arizona Cardinals defense
By Jim Koch
There is still time for the Arizona Cardinals front office to acquire assistance for what could be one of the NFL's worst defenses.
There are a large contingent of NFL experts who feel that the Arizona Cardinals will field one of the league's worst defensive units in 2023. The losses of key contributors like J.J. Watt, Byron Murphy and Zach Allen will undoubtedly hurt. Reinforcements needed to be added, but general manager Monti Ossenfort has elected to acquire defenders who have barely made their mark at the professional level.
Nick Rallis, Arizona's 29-year-old coordinator, is expected to have his hands full with the current crew. Having talented pieces like Budda Baker, Isaiah Simmons, Zaven Collins, Jalen Thompson and Kyzir White around will certainly help. Working against Rallis is the fact that the six remaining spots on the Redbirds defense are peppered with bona fide question marks.
If Ossenfort acts quickly, there's still time to address the group's shortcomings. The following are four free agents who could help the Arizona Cardinals become much more competitive on the defensive side of the ball.
Myles Jack - Outside Linebacker
The general consensus is that Rallis will be installing a 4-3 defense in the desert, but head coach Jonathan Gannon also utilized a 3-4 alignment during his time in Philly. With that being the case, it would behoove the Cards to collect as many top-notch linebackers as possible.
When it comes to tackling, an argument can be made that eighth-year pro Myles Jack is one of the best in the business. In his seven NFL campaigns, the 6 foot 1, 244 pounder has racked up an eye-popping 617 stops, most of which were recorded during his six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jack spent last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was credited with an impressive 104 tackles. The 27-year-old obviously still has plenty left to offer, and Arizona could certainly benefit from an addition who can provide that type of production.