The Arizona Cardinals named their 2023 captains. Kyler Murray and Budda Baker are among those who are captains for the fourth straight year.
The Arizona Cardinals named their captains for the 2023 season and had a “bonus” practice to prepare for their season opener on the road against the Washington Commanders.
Five of the six players return from last season. One is a newcomer but is no surprise. Three are offensive players, two are presumably defensive captains and one is for special teams, although he also plays defense.
Myjai Sanders, one of the Cardinals’ two third-round pass rushers, has high praise for Gardeck.
The Arizona Cardinals have to remake their outside linebacker room this year because of the departure of Chandler Jones in free agency. Markus Golden returns on one side, but the room is made up mostly by guys trying to reestablish themselves as pass rushers or by guys trying to make a name for the first time.
One player trying to make a name for himself is rookie Myjai Sanders and one trying reestablish himself is Dennis Gardeck.
Gardeck had seven sacks in 2020 in only 93 defensive snaps before tearing his ACL. Sanders was a third-round pick who has flashed some potential.
Sanders says Gardeck has been very helpful and he even compared him to one of the best pass rushers we have seen in recent history,
He referred to Von Miller when describing Gardeck’s play.
“It’s just How fluid he is with what he does,” Sanders told reporters Tuesday. “He never wastes a step. He’s always going forward. Everything he does is intentional. He’s really precise about what move he’s going to throw, and it starts in the meeting room. He always says what he’s going to do before we get on the field, and he actually does it.”
Gardeck is undersized as an edge rusher at 6-0 and 232 lbs. He did not have a sack in 2021 after his seven in 2020.
He will have an expanded role this coming season.
But Sanders says he hasn’t seen anyone with the same pass-rushing force and ability, “not since Von Miller,” who has 115.5 career sacks in 11 seasons.
Perhaps it isn’t an apt comparison. Miller is longer and more athletic, but he does have great technique.
But for a rookie to even mention one of the greats of this generation with a player like Gardeck, it shows just how much respect the veteran has had on Sanders and the impact he has had in his early development.
Dennis Gardeck has worn No. 45 since 2020. See him and others to wear No. 45 for the Cardinals before him.
As the Arizona Cardinals continue the start of training camp with their second practice on Thursday, we are 45 days away from the start of their regular season. They will take the field at State Fam Stadium in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
No. 45 belongs to outside linebacker and special teams stud Dennis Gardeck. It wasn’t always his number as he started his career with No. 92 and then went to No. 42. He and others to wear No. 45 are below.
If the Cardinals can get a combined 14 sacks from Devon Kennard, Dennis Gardeck, Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders, they will be fine.
One of the major questions facing the Arizona Cardinals this season is how they will replace Chandler Jones, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Jones had 10.5 sacks last season and is the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks.
They did not add another proven pass rusher to replace him.
They have Markus Golden and his team-leading 11 sacks last season but then a committee of players to play opposite him.
They have veteran Devon Kennard, who has not produced the way anyone hoped he would in his first two seasons with the team. He is now slated to start as the base outside linebacker. He had three sacks in 2020 but none last season.
Next is Dennis Gardeck, who had seven sacks in 93 snaps in 2020 but none last year in his return from a torn ACL.
They drafted Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders in the third round this year. Thomas was one of the nation’s most productive pass rushers and Sanders, while he lacked sacks, created a lot of pressure.
While it would be unfair to expect any individual player to replace Jones in terms of impact on the defense, the Cardinals are counting on the whole of that group to be able to replace his production.
Jones had 10.5 sacks last season but only 5.5 after Week 1.
If the four players combine for 14 sacks in 2022 with Golden producing double digits, the Cardinals will be in great shape.
That 14 could be Thomas getting five with Kennard, Gardeck and Sanders each getting three.
Plus, if the defensive interior of J.J. Watt and Zach Allen each increase their sack production in 2022, the Cardinals’ pass rush will be just fine.
Every season, there are players who exceed their offseason expectations. Who could those players possibly be for the Cardinals in 2022?
Every NFL season, players have breakout seasons that aren’t expected from the fans. The Arizona Cardinals, who have made it a priority to retain most of their free agents from last season, could use a few of those breakout performers.
Jalen Thompson’s emergence as a rookie supplemental draft pick is a perfect example. The free agent acquisition of Kelvin Beachum sliding over to right tackle is another.
Who are some candidates for a surprise breakout player in 2022?
Whether it was injury, lack of playing time or ineffectiveness, these players seek to show more in 2022 than they did in previous years.
The Arizona Cardinals enter 2022 expecting to have a better ending than they did last season. They won 11 games and went to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 but faded down the stretch and were blown out of the first round of the playoffs.
They need to bounce back from the end of their last season.
To do that, they will need some players to bounce back from seasons they probably wish they could have back.
Below are some Cardinals players who will have the chance to bounce back and be better in 2022.
Dennis Gardeck suffered a brutal knee injury late in the 2020 season, which hampered his ability last season. He is now at 100% and ready to return to form.
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck was always one of the team’s best special teams playmakers. His role increased drastically in the 2020 season, however, when Chandler Jones went down with a season-ending biceps tear.
He immediately became a fan favorite, managing to rack up seven sacks in very limited snaps at outside linebacker. He brought energy and some much-needed pass rush help to a team that had just lost their star pass rusher for the season.
Unfortunately, Gardeck was unable to finish his 2020 campaign, as he suffered a torn ACL in a December matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Late-season knee injuries, particularly one of Gardeck’s severity, are always difficult to return to full strength by the next season.
“I thought I was back to my normal speed,” Gardeck said. “I felt way more confident than I did in weeks previous and months previous until I got out there.”
“Maybe I wasn’t all the way back,” he said.
Gardeck mentioned how early in last offseason, he thought he was going to be able to play at close to full strength. Getting out on the field was a different story, however. He just didn’t feel like his normal self and never quite found his footing during the regular season.
This offseason is different for Gardeck. He’s had ample time now to recover from his injury and we get a chance to start conditioning and drills at 100%, as opposed to last year.
“I definitely felt back to pre-injury Dennis.”
The Cardinals are going to need a much production as possible from the edge rusher position following the loss of Chandler Jones in free agency. They added third-round picks Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders, but otherwise have not added any outside help.
The team extended Gardeck for the next three seasons, showing the faith they have in him returning at full speed this year.
With Chandler Jones leaving in free agency, it appears the Cardinals expect increased production from Dennis Gardeck, Zach Allen and Michael Dogbe.
The Arizona Cardinals will have to adjust on defense in 2022 with the departure of franchise all-time sack leader Chandler Jones. They have not yet replaced him in the lineup.
In the most recent episode of Cardinals Flight Plan, general manager Steve Keim spoke of Jones’ departure. He spoke of how teams love to have Pro Bowl players, “but at the same time, there are guys that are really good fits that do things day in and day out here that sort of lead us to success.”
He suggests that there will be players to step in and give the Cardinals what they need to replace Jones.
The video cut to three players while Keim was saying that, suggesting that are players they have at least some hopes will be key contributors in 2022.
We take a look at all the numbers to Gardeck’s three-year deal and what it means for the salary cap.
The Arizona Cardinals brought back outside linebacker and special teams ace Dennis Gardeck. After entering the league as an undrafted rookie in 2018 and making a name on special teams, getting selected as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019, he was moved from inside linebacker to outside linebacker in 2020. He was super productive that year. Playing 93 defensive snaps, he had seven sacks before tearing his ACL.
He returned in 2021 on a restricted free agent tender. He played in 14 games and did not have a sack.
Now, he returns on a three-year deal worth $12 million. Let’s go over the financial details and salary cap implications of the contract.
Dennis Gardeck contract details
Gardeck receives a $2 million signing bonus.
In 2022, he will earn a salary of $1.25 million and $20,000 per game that he is active as a roster bonus. All of his salary is fully guaranteed.
In 2023, his salary increases to $3.27 million. $500,000 of that salary is fully guaranteed. He can earn up to $34,000 in per-game active roster bonuses as well.
In 2024, his salary drops to $2.46 million and can again make up to $340,000 in per-game active roster bonuses.
Salary cap implications
For cap purposes, Gardeck’s signing bonus is spread out over three seasons.
So for this coming season, depending on how many games he is active, his cap hit (signing bonus proration, 2022 salary and per-game roster bonuses) will be as much as $2.26 million.
In 2023, his cap hit increases to as much as $4.28 million.
In 2024, because of his decrease in salary, his cap hit will drop to as much as $3.47 million.
The way it is structured with his salary guarantees, he will be on the roster for two seasons and then the Cardinals have an out for his contract in 2024. They would save $2.8 million in cap space by cutting him then and only carry less than $670,000 in dead money.
