The NFL had its first weekend of preseason football for the entire league last week. The Arizona Cardinals picked up a W with a 36-23 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals Friday night.
The Cardinals had a number of standout performances in the win, but one stood out in particular.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar wrote about the “secret superstars” of the first weekend of the preseason and Cardinals linebacker Victor Dimukeje made the list after a two-sack performance.
The Cardinals took Dimukeje in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Duke, and he had just 113 snaps in his rookie season. If his game against the Bengals is any indication, the second-year man is about to break out on the roster this season. With two sacks, four quarterback hurries, and two stops, Dimukeje proved to be a real problem, indeed.
Dimukeje made a huge first impression with game tape on Friday. The Cardinals are seeking an answer at outside linebacker to replace the pass-rushing production lost when Chandler Jones left in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.
His performance didn’t come in the fourth quarter against guys who largely will not be on NFL rosters. It came against starters and backups.
With the Cardinals resting most of their starters again this weekend in their game against the Baltimore Ravens, he will have the opportunity to potentially duplicate his performance, potentially locking up a spot on the Cardinals’ final roster.
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