Tag: Bilal Nichols

What was the Cardinals’ biggest disappointment in 2024?

The Cards Wire writers make their picks for the Cardinals’ biggest disappointment of 2024. They have differing picks.

The Arizona Cardinals are in their offseason and looking ahead to 2025.

But while we are in the offseason, it is time to look back at the 2024 season and give some recognitions for player performances.

On the podcast, we discussed player awards and superlatives. Now we will put our picks in written form.

We continue with the team’s biggest disappointment in 2024.

Who was the Cardinals’ biggest disappointment for 2024? Howard Balzer and I give our picks.

Cardinals’ biggest disappointment of 2024

Jess Root: DLs Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols

The Cardinals committed over $50 million to Jones and Nichols in free agency in an attempt to bolster the defensive line. Nichols had not missed a game in four seasons and Jones in the previous two.

Both suffered season-ending injuries. They combined for 14 tackles and as many sacks as I did (zero). The disappointment wasn’t about their play, as we saw struggles for a while in stopping the run after they got hurt.

But when they were added to be a big boost to the defensive line and they ended up giving you virtually nothing on the field, it is disappointing.

The Cardinals made a big investment in the offensive line, adding Jones and Nichols and then drafting Darius Robinson in the first round. With injuries to all three, the Cardinals got virtually nothing on the field from all three.

That is disappointing.

Howard Balzer: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Disappointment is in the eye of the beholder, but that’s what happens when you’re the fourth overall pick in the draft and one of the more heralded pass-catchers to enter the league in years.

The numbers weren’t bad, but the frustration was high because of what might have (should have?) been. It raises the stakes in 2025 for Harrison to get on the same page more often with quarterback Kyler Murray. Make a list of things that have to improve for the team to reach double-digit victories and that’s near if not at the top.

As for those numbers, it is important to note that although his 62 receptions tied for 49th in the NFL, the 14.3-yard average per catch was eighth in that group of 50 players. Only eight players had more than Harrison’s eight touchdowns.

Still, he averaged only 3.6 receptions per game and 52.1 yards game. Another two catches per game gets him to 96 and 6.8 yards per game gets him to 1,000 for the season. The surest way to reach those levels is improving on the percentage of 116 targets caught, which was 53.4 percent.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals DL Bilal Nichols to miss rest of the season

Nichols is yet another veteran defensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury.

The Cardinals’ luck with veteran free agent defensive linemen continues to be bad. They placed Bilal Nichols on injured reserve on Tuesday and it apparently will end his season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Nichols is done for the season. He is not expected to return from injured reserve.

Nichols was said to have suffered a stinger on Sunday in the Cardinals’ 34-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

He finishes the season with 10 total tackles in six games, including a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.

He joins Justin Jones on IR being done for the season. Both were signed to three-year free agent contracts.

Dante Stills now moves into the starting lineup.

Over the last two seasons, four veteran free agent defensive linemen they have signed had suffered season-ending injuries.

Last season, after signing L.J. Collier and Carlos Watkins, both suffered season-ending biceps injuries. Jones tore his triceps earlier this season and now it is Nichols.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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2024 Cardinals roster preview: DL Bilal Nichols

We will preview every player on the Cardinals’ roster heading into training camp. This is about defensive lineman Bilal Nichols.

The Arizona Cardinals will open training camp July 23 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team.

Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2023, questions they face and their roster outlook.

Next up is defensive lineman Bilal Nichols

Background

Nichols was selected by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2018 draft from Delaware. He played four seasons for the Bears before signing with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent in 2022. After two seasons in Las Vegas, he signed a three-year contract with the Cardinals this year as a UFA. In six NFL seasons, he has played 94 games with 83 starts including starting all 34 games the last two seasons with the Raiders. In his career, he has 14.0 sacks and 26 tackles for loss.

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Cardinals excited about addition of Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols to D-line

“When you watch the tape, you have a vision for those guys,” said Jonathan Gannon.

The Arizona Cardinals have gone out and spent a bit of money on the defensive line. They added Bilal Nichols on a three-year, $21 million deal and inked Justin Jones to a three-year contract worth more than $30 million.

Both have been durable and reliable players. Neither has been super productive, although Jones had a breakout year in terms of pass rushing, getting 4.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits in 2023.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon is excited for the duo. He sounds like a guy who believes they will get more from them than what they have done prior to this year.

“They can both rush, they can both play the run in multiple modes of run defense,” Gannon said at the annual league meeting in Orlando this past week (via AZCardinals.com). “They are both pretty durable, which you never know how that’s going to go but they have proven they can play a lot of snaps. The makeup of the players – we did a lot of homework on those guys, to bring them in. Glowing reviews about those guys. And when you watch the tape, you have a vision for those guys.”

Their additions along with Khyiris Tonga, the re-signing of L.J. Collier and the hopeful continued development of Dante Stills, who had 3.5 sacks as a rookie, give hope for a defensive line that was both bad and ravaged by injuries.

At the very minimum, it should no longer be a liability in 2024.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Former Raiders DT Bilal Nichols lands with Cardinals on 3-year deal

Bilal Nichols lands with Cardinals on 3-year deal

A second Raiders starter has become a day one expected free agent signing elsewhere. Josh Jacobs was the first to go — heading to Green Bay — and now it’s Bilal Nichols.

Nichols gets a deal that averages $7 million per season with $14.4 million in guarantees. This for a player who never played up to the two-year deal he got from the Raiders and they were more than fine with allowing to walk.

Nichols had just three combined sacks and eight tackles for loss in two full seasons in Las Vegas.

He had already been replaced in a big way with the expected signing of former Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins who was arguably the big prize of this year’s free agent class.

Nichols getting a solid deal elsewhere is potentially good news for the Raiders. With two starters getting long term deals elsewhere, while they have added just one (Wilkins), they are +1 in the comp pick formula so far.

There are still a few Raiders free agents yet unsigned. Including tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, and guard Greg Van Roten. They will also have to replace those guys, so they are likely not done with adding outside free agents themselves.

Cardinals give 3-year deal to former Raiders DL Bilal Nichols

Nichols spent the last two seasons with the Raiders and has not missed a game in four seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals are starting to make moves in free agency, adding defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. After the report of adding cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, they have made their biggest move in free agency in two years under general manager Monti Ossenfort.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Nichols is getting a three-year deal worth $21 million and includes $14.4 million guaranteed.

Nichols is 27 years old, listed at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds.

He was a fifth-round pick in 2018 by the Chicago Bears, where he played four seasons. He spent the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.

He did not miss a game each of the last two seasons and started all 34. He has not missed a game in the last four years.

He had 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss each of the last two seasons.

He played 804 snaps in 2022 and 615 last season.

He has 14 career sacks and a high of five in 2020.

This is officially the biggest “splash” the Cardinals have made the last two seasons. Last year, the biggest contract they gave out was Kyzir White’s two-year, $10 million deal.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

What Condition the Position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at DT ahead of free agency

What Condition Raiders Position is in: Defensive tackle

With free agency under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ defensive tackle position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Jerry Tillery, ?
Backups: Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera, Marquan McCall
Free Agents: Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler, John Jenkins

The past two drafts the Raiders have used four draft picks on the defensive tackle position and have little to show for it. They got no starters out of it and one of the four (Young) was on the active roster all of last season. Veterans Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins started every game last season with Jerry Tillery appearing in all 17 games, starting six.

Condition: Critical

Three of the four interior defensive lineman who were regular parts in the rotation last season are set to be free agents. Only Tillery remains and he wasn’t even a regular starter due to his deficiencies against the run. Adam Butler played well enough to earn a return. If they bring him back, they would still need to add one more talented interior lineman. If they don’t, they would need a couple.

These 17 Raiders are slated to be free agents in March

There are no more games for the Raiders to play this season. And several of the players who suited up for the team this season won’t be back. Over the final couple weeks of the season the players begin thinking about coveting the time they have …

There are no more games for the Raiders to play this season. And several of the players who suited up for the team this season won’t be back.

Over the final couple weeks of the season the players begin thinking about coveting the time they have together, because the way this business is it’s unavoidable that the locker room will not be the same by the time they re-convene in April.

Some players will be in demand should they hit the market. Others will not. The ones who are re-signed are not necessarily the ones the team wants more. Likewise the ones that get away are not necessarily the ones they didn’t want. There are always a few free agents they may have wanted to bring back, but got an offer they liked better elsewhere.

At least 17 of those players will hit free agency unless the Raiders re-sign them beforehand.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 win over Broncos

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 win over Broncos

For the fourth straight season, the Raiders complete the sweep of the Broncos. That’s right, the Las Vegas Raiders have never lost to the Broncos.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 16 win over Chiefs

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 16 win over Chiefs

A month ago the Chiefs boat raced the Raiders in Las Vegas to go 8-3 on the season take a commanding lead in the AFC Playoff race. At that time, it seemed you could chalk up another win for the Chiefs when the Raiders came to Arrowhead on Christmas Day.

Since then things have taken a turn for both teams. The Chiefs have been very beatable and the Raiders defense has been extremely stingy and opportunistic.

These teams collided on that same trajectory and the result was a stunner with the Raiders defense almost singlehandedly taking down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs 20-14.