The Arizona Cardinals set out this offseason to upgrade their linebacking corps after a dreadful 2019 on defense, when they had the league’s worst pass defense and were particularly vulnerable to opposing tight ends.
They met their objective. They signed De’Vondre Campbell in the offseason and drafted Isaiah Simmons in the first round. They also added depth at the back of the roster with the selection of Evan Weaver on Day 3 of the draft.
With the upgrades, Pro Football Focus has them in the middle of the pack in their rankings for all 32 linebacking corps in the league.
Entering 2020, they come in at No. 17.
Arizona addressed a major weakness when they selected Isaiah Simmons in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as their linebacking corps was one of the league’s worst last season. Many analysts tried to figure out where Simmons’ best fit at the next level, but the Cardinals have him at linebacker, where they had the third-worst coverage grade in the league last season (32.0).
Former first-round pick Haason Reddick is coming off the worst year of his career, as he struggled mightily in zone coverage on his way to a 29.2 coverage grade while providing little else in the run game or as a pass-rusher. He may be relegated to creative blitz packages if he’s not dealt prior to the season. Jordan Hicks also had the worst overall grade of his career, at 61.0, but he has three-plus years of solid coverage grades under his belt and there’s a good chance he bounces back to pair with Simmons and solidify the middle of the defense for Arizona. The Cardinals also add De’Vondre Campbell to the mix after four years in Atlanta where he posted subpar coverage grades but missed only 23 of his 291 tackle attempts.
Hicks filled the stat sheet with 150 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles, but found himself out of position. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said it was often because he would start a play out of position because he was trying to get others in the right spot. Reddick was bad enough they completely changed his position. Joe Walker is a good guy to have on the roster and did a solid job as a starter but had clear issues in coverage.
With the addition of Campbell and Simmons, the Cardinals believe their issues against tight ends are done. Hicks should play better with a better player at his side. Campbell graded poorly in coverage, as the article notes, but the Cardinals made him their No. 1 offseason priority and believed, even before drafting Simmons, that he would solve the tight end issue. Now they added a linebacker with defensive back instincts. Covering guys is Simmons’ thing.
They still are far behind most of the NFC West. Seattle ranked No. 1 and the 49ers No. 10. As for the Rams, with the departure of Cory Littleton, they are dead last.
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Ep. 267
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