Tag: Victor Dimukeje

52 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

The Cardinals’ current No. 52 is linebacker Victor Dimukeje, who began to make a real impact on defense last season.

We are a day close to the start of the 2024 NFL regular season. While in 49 days, the league’s season opener will kick off, the Arizona Cardinals’ season opener on September 8 on the road against the Buffalo Bills is in 52 days.

The Cardinals’ current No. 52 is linebacker Victor Dimukeje.

Dimukeje has been a solid special teams player for three seasons but really started to make an impact last season on defense. He played in 16 games last season and started six at outside linebacker. He finished the season with 32 total tackles, five tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits and four sacks.

His four sacks were tied for second on the team in 2023. He was also fourth on the team with six special teams tackles.

He played a career-high 386 defensive snaps in 2023. He also played 285 special teams snaps. He has logged over 200 special teams snaps all three seasons he has played for the Cardinals and in the NFL.

We will return tomorrow with another countdown post.

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LB Victor Dimukeje named one of ‘secret superstars’ of preseason Week 1

He had two sacks against the Bengals in the first half, making a case to make the final roster.

The NFL had its first weekend of preseason football for the entire league last week. The Arizona Cardinals picked up a W with a 36-23 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals Friday night.

The Cardinals had a number of standout performances in the win, but one stood out in particular.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar wrote about the “secret superstars” of the first weekend of the preseason and Cardinals linebacker Victor Dimukeje made the list after a two-sack performance.

The Cardinals took Dimukeje in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Duke, and he had just 113 snaps in his rookie season. If his game against the Bengals is any indication, the second-year man is about to break out on the roster this season. With two sacks, four quarterback hurries, and two stops, Dimukeje proved to be a real problem, indeed.

Dimukeje made a huge first impression with game tape on Friday. The Cardinals are seeking an answer at outside linebacker to replace the pass-rushing production lost when Chandler Jones left in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.

His performance didn’t come in the fourth quarter against guys who largely will not be on NFL rosters. It came against starters and backups.

With the Cardinals resting most of their starters again this weekend in their game against the Baltimore Ravens, he will have the opportunity to potentially duplicate his performance, potentially locking up a spot on the Cardinals’ final roster.

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Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has scoured preseason tape, and here are his Secret Superstars for Week 1 of this NFL preseason.

Those party-poopers who tell you that “It’s only the preseason” have never tried to make an NFL team, or grab a starting role, by the skin of their teeth. For more players than not, the three-game stretch before the regular season begins is their best way to prove that they belong on an NFL roster once things get “real.”

Now that Week 1 of the 2022 preseason is in the books, here are the players we think have done the most to create — or enhance — those favorable impressions when they matter the most.

The players on this list are not the obvious names — there are no first-rounders, or players who came into the new season with advanced amounts of hype based on their collegiate or previous NFL exploits. These guys are either trying to stake their claims, or save their careers.

So, let’s take a look at the Secret Superstars of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason.

(All metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise indicated).

7 players who stood out in the Cardinals’ preseason win over Bengals

These players helped their cases to make the final roster.

The Arizona Cardinals picked up a 36-23 preseason win Friday night over the Cincinnati Bengals. They scored three first-half touchdowns and mostly shut down the Cincinnati offense until late in the game.

Several players really helped themselves making a case for the 53-man roster with their play on Friday.

Below are some of the players who stood out.

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52 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Check out second-year LB Victor Dimukeje and others who have worn No. 52 for the Cardinals over the years.

The Arizona Cardinals will have rookies report to training camp today, a fine Thursday. From today, there are 52 days until they play their first game of the regular season.

In 52 days, they will take the field at State Farm Stadium in Week 1 to face the Kansas City Chiefs.

No. 52 currently belongs to second-year outside linebacker Victor Dimukeje. See him and others to wear No. 52 for the Cardinals before him below.

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Contract details for Cardinals 6th-round pick Victor Dimukeje

The first of the Cardinals’ two sixth-round picks gets a signing bonus of more than $168,000.

Outside linebacker Victor Dimukeje was one of the Arizona Cardinals’ two sixth-round selections in the NFL draft this year. He and fellow sixth-round pick Tay Gowan recently signed their four-year rookie contracts.

The Cardinals now have five of their seven draft picks under contract.

We now have the key details for Dimukeje’s deal, thanks to SI.com’s Howard Balzer, who wrote about the contract numbers.

The total value of Dimukeje’s contract is $3,641,860 with a signing bonus of $161,860.

Dimukeje will make the minimum salary in the league each of the four years on his contract. He will earn $660,000 in 2021 and that increases to $825,000, $940,000 and $1.055 million the following three years. (Those salary numbers will also increase as the minimum increases each year per the new CBA).

His contract will count almost $693,000 against the cap this season if he makes the 53-man roster.

If he does not make the team and is cut, the nearly $162,000 in signing bonus money is the dead money charge against the cap.

Per Balzer, Dimukeje’s deal is a split contract for 2021 and 2022, meaning he will not make his full salary should he land on injured reserve and not be able to play in his first two seasons. His salary would drop to $415,000.

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Grading each draft pick for the Cardinals

We look at the Arizona Cardinals’ NFL draft class and give grades to each selection.

The Arizona Cardinals added seven players in the 2021 NFL draft. They landed five defensive players of the seven, adding only a receiver and a lineman on offense.

Defensively, they added a pair of cornerbacks, a safety, a linebacker and a pass rusher.

While it is technically too early to grade the picks for how they will actually perform on the field, we can evaluate the perceived talent, value and need for each player.

As such, below are grades for each of the Cardinals’ draft picks over the weekend.


The Bears had pre-draft meeting with Duke DE Victor Dimukeje

Ahead of the NFL draft, the Bears attended Duke’s pro day where they scouted and met with defensive end Victor Dimukeje.

The Duke football program held its pro day on March 29, and many NFL scouts were in attendance, including the Chicago Bears. One prospect they had an eye on and were able to talk to was defensive end Victor Dimukeje.

Dimukeje recorded 23 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in a shortened senior season. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end from Baltimore recorded 41 tackles, 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 2019.

As a four-year starter, Dimukeje racked up 32 tackles-for-loss, 21.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception. He’s a strong, physical, and technically-refined defender that has the appeal to be developed into a solid player.

The Bears have shown interest in Dimukeje as they had a scout pull him aside and had a little conversation.

“It was just a brief chat,” Dimukeje told Bears Wire. “I would love to play for Chicago. But I would love to play for any team that gets me. I grew up a Ravens fan, but I would play for anyone where I can showcase my talent.”

Dimukeje is projected to be a Day 3 draft pick. He can get leverage to set strong edges against tight ends, generates early push as a power rusher, has effective rip-and-run to flatten to the quarterback and the ability to dip under blocks at the top of his rush.

However, Dimukeje does lack the acceleration, doesn’t have a go-to rush counter, his length against tackles will give him problems and he’s a one-speed rusher with short strides. He has an average ceiling but should be a fairly steady backup as a 3-4 rush linebacker or 4-3 base end.

The Bears are going to need some depth coming off the edge. Behind starters Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, the team has Jeremiah Attaochu, Trevis Gipson, James Vaughters and Ledarius Mack.

An edge rusher isn’t one of the top needs in this year’s NFL draft, but the Bears do need some impactful depth behind Mack and Quinn.

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Colts’ 2021 NFL mock draft after Week 12

A mock draft as the season enters its quarter-pole.

It’s never too early to look ahead to the NFL draft in the spring. While the Indianapolis Colts are sitting nicely at 7-4, and in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC, they have some holes to fill in the offseason.

The NFL draft will be here before we know it, so why not start to take a look at some names the Colts could take in the draft in April.

The season is far from over, so the position where Indy will pick is likely going to change, but here is our the first official Colts 2021 mock draft after Week 12 of the regular season: