After A Strong Offseason, How Good Can The Cardinals Defense Be In 2020?

What a massive offseason for the Arizona Cardinals. After all the free agent signings and after the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cardinals have put themselves in a position to rebound from their 5-10-1 2019 record. Last year, the team focused on rebuilding their offense and it took a huge jump, thanks to the play of then-rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. This year, the defense has received a lot of upgrades, asking the question how high can they rise in 2020?

The Cardinals defense last year was bad, ranking dead last in yards allowed per game and 28th in points per game. The team struggled in pass defense, letting nearly every tight end look like Rob Gronkowski in his prime. The team gave up numerous big plays and though they had some talent, they played so poorly that it didn’t matter. The lone high point of this unit was linebacker Chandler Jones, who had the second most sacks in the league with 19, but even his success couldn’t lift Arizona out of their hole.

The team spent a lot of money and draft capital this offseason trying to improve the defense, specifically the front seven. The signing of defensive lineman Jordan Phillips provides the team with interior pass rush. Linebackers Devon Kennard and De’Vondre Campbell both add utility and pass rush to the linebacking group. The secondary will have all-pro cornerback Patrick Peterson for the entire season, alleviating some of the pressure second-year cornerback Byron Murphy faced. Even with their first round pick, the team selected Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who can play where the team needs him on the field. Although defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said that Simmons won’t be playing at the safety or corner position that much, according to ESPN reporter Josh Weinfuss. The team has done well acquiring talent for their defense while not blowing through their money signing one player.

Is it enough? The additions on the defense are players who are viewed at best above average and rookies. It wouldn’t be fair to consider that their presence alone will turn the defense around. The team decided to not add anything to the secondary which can be taken as a sign that the team likes what they have but if Peterson struggles again this year, that could break this team. There’s a lot that can go wrong, yet there’s a lot that could go right.

This will be the second year with the defense being run by Joseph. The transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 is always tricky, especially when the secondary is missing their star corner. Having a second year together and with the pieces added to the defense, all of which fit Joseph’s scheme, can help this unit grow exponentially. This team, if everything clicks and goes well for the team, can easily be a top ten defensive unit. The talent is there, they have depth, Joseph is a solid defensive coordinator and the team will have all the motivation in the world to prove themselves.

It’s tough to accurately assess how good this Cardinals defense will be next year through just looking at the roster. We don’t know how the unit will play together, if they’ll be crippled with injuries or what breaks will benefit or hurt them. One thing we can tell is the team has definitely improved and the sky’s the limit during this time of the year. It’s when the regular season starts, we’ll see if the moves were worth it.


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