Every NFL team has suffered losses in free agency. Some losses are more impactful than others. Sometimes they are able to replace them with other players.
For example, the Denver Broncos lost defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones to the Seattle Seahawks. They replaced him with former Cardinals defensive lineman Zach Allen.
Allen’s departure is the Cardinals’ biggest loss, according to PFF.
Amid J.J. Watt‘s retirement to boot, Arizona may have the worst defensive line in the NFL on paper heading into the 2023 campaign. New head coach Jonathan Gannon has his work cut out for him after coordinating a Philadelphia Eagles defense that recorded 70 regular-season sacks in 2022, the third most all time.
They didn’t get there by relying on one or two marquee players, either. In fact, they became the first team in NFL history to have four different players record double-digit sacks in a year. Now in Arizona following Allen’s departure, Gannon is left with a current top pass rusher who may not rank in the top five on the Eagles roster, and that’s even after interior defender Javon Hargrave signed a massive deal in free agency with the San Francisco 49ers. Fortunately, Arizona has the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and could add a difference-maker on Day 1.
The Cardinals have not done much to replace Allen. Their one defensive line addition was former Tennessee Titan Kevin Strong.
In addition to Allen, the Cardinals also lost cornerback Byron Murphy, but they are a little better at cornerback on the roster than they are on the defensive line.
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