The Arizona Cardinals, who must deal with the loss of injured All-Pro pass rusher Chandler Jones for the rest of the season, addressed the position by trading for Markus Golden. They acquired Golden from the New York Giants for a sixth-round pick. Golden, of course, is a familiar face because he was drafted by the Cardinals and played four seasons before signing with the Giants in free agency in 2019.
He had 10 sacks with the Giants in 2019 but, with a new coaching staff and defensive system, he has not played much in 2020.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is happy to have him.
“He fits perfectly into our plan,” Joseph told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s a classic outside backer. He loves to be in the two-point stance. He loves to get one-on-one in pass rushes and he is a guy that plays hard.”
So far this season, he only has 1.5 sacks. He played in only 36% of the Giants’ defensive snaps.
While it is not known yet exactly what role he will have the rest of the season, Joseph anticipates Golden will be productive.
“As an outside backer with his relentless personality, he is going to make plays for us,” he said. “Watching him over the years as an outside rusher, he just overwhelms tackles just with effort and that’s what it takes in this league because most pass rushers and most sacks aren’t cute rushes. It’s dirty, it’s grimy and it’s tough, and that’s the kind of player he is. That’s a great gift for our defense for the moment.”
With the loss of Jones, the Cardinals will now have a rotation of Devon Kennard, Haason Reddick and Golden, with perhaps some of Kyle Fitts and Dennis Gardeck mixed in as well.
They have this weekend off but will host the Miami Dolphins next weekend and face rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will be making only his second NFL start.
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