One of the Arizona Cardinals’ many unrestricted free agents this offseason is defensive lineman Angelo Blackson. Will he be back in 2021?
Blackson was a surprise addition after training camp, acquired via a waiver claim after he was released by the Houston Texans. He was the only defensive lineman on the team to appear in all 16 games last season.
He had his most productive season in the pros as a rotational player. He started nine games and had a career-high 24 tackles and tied his career-high of 2.5 sacks. He also set new career marks with four tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.
He played in 50% of the team’s defensive snaps, which was also a career-high.
He was not spectacular but he was solid.
The question is what happens with him.
He now will be a free agent at 28 years old. With a reduced salary cap in 2021, a player like him is likely to get squeezed. He might have to only take the league minimum to play somewhere.
Will that be with the Cardinals?
It could be.
However, as the Cardinals believe there will be a number of talented players becoming available this offseason, they probably will seek someone better.
They need someone like Blackson on the roster. The defensive line room has Jordan Phillips, Zach Allen, Leki Fotu, Rashard Lawrence, Michael Dogbe and David Parry. If Fotu and Lawrence build on their promising rookie seasons, then a healthy Phillips and Allen with them is very good. They would need a veteran rotational player at least.
With J.J. Watt available now and players like Ndamukong Suh hitting free agency, Blackson probably won’t be someone who signs in the first wave of free agency. If he is still unsigned later, a return to Arizona is completely reasonable.
It would make sense for him to play in a defense he knows in a system where he had his best season.
Blackson’s 2021 return: Certainly possible, but not an early priority
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