It isn’t a position that gets discussed nearly as much as the offensive line, defensive line or wide receiver, but the Arizona Cardinals need to address the outside linebacker position opposite Chandler Jones this offseason.
Terrell Suggs was cut late in the season and Cassius Marsh will be a free agent. That leaves the Cardinals with Haason Reddick and young players.
With cap space available, who are some players the Cardinals could target when free agency begins next month?
Dante Fowler Jr.
Fowler has actually been linked to the Cardinals by some, but in reality, coming from Wade Phillips defense in L.A., he makes a lot of sense if his price tag is not too high.
With Chandler Jones attracting much of the attention on the opposite side, Fowler could put up similar numbers to last year’s 12 sacks, when he was aided by having Aaron Donald on the inside.
Markus Golden
Many Cardinals fans would love to see a reunion between Arizona and Golden. At 29, he and his 10 sacks would likely not cost the premium price tag as some others listed here (and some that are not).
Bud Dupree
Dupree is a bit of an enigma. His stock is likely boosted to his most recent season (12 sacks and 16 QB Hits), although his previous time in Pittsburgh was considered underwhelming.
There have been rumors that Steve Keim and Bruce Arians wanted him in the draft when he came out, so it’s possible that they still like his skill set and what he could bring to Vance Joseph’s defense.
Matt Judon
Much like they have done with many past free agent pass rushers, it seems likely that Baltimore will let Judon walk, especially since they have other young pass rushers ready in the wings.
Judon is a small-school player who seems to be getting better, making him a likely hot commodity. He had 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2019.
Jordan Jenkins
Jenkins is similar to Golden in that he’s a bigger EDGE player, but does not have the same amount of production as Markus does. He did however have eight sacks for the Jets this season, who did not have any other premiere players along the line.
Other possibilities
Shaq Barrett likely will be too pricey to come to Arizona, Mario Addison seems a bit too old and Bruce Irvin doesn’t seem like a scheme fit. A few other interesting names could be Kyler Fackrell, who grew up in Arizona, and Jeremiah Attaochu.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 257
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