2023 Arizona Cardinals Defense

Arizona fell to 14th in rushing yards allowed (2,016 yards) while allowing 21 touchdowns. Ball carriers gained only 4.5 yards per rush, with 26.2 runs per game.

The Cardinals slipped to 24th in passing yards allowed (3,915) with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Their defense delivered 36 sacks while quarterbacks gained 7.1 yards per pass attempt.

DE Zaven Collins earned a full-time starting job in his second year with the Cardinals after getting drafted 16th overall in 2021. He recorded 100 tackles, but his run defense was a liability at times due to too many missed tackles. Collins only has two career sacks over his two seasons in the league. DE L.J. Collier has been in the NFL for four years, but he has yet to make an impact after getting drafted in the first round in 2019. Over the past two seasons, he missed 16 games with the Seahawks. DE Cameron Thomas and DE Myjai Sanders are the best young players coming off the bench.

DT Leki Fotu saw his snaps increase in back-to-back years, but he remains a below-par player against the run with a minimal pass rush. The Cardinals don’t have a standout option to start at either defensive tackle position, inviting continued weakness slowing down the run and spotty production in sacks.

LB Kyzir White delivered 254 tackles over the past two seasons with the Chargers and Eagles. He has been a league-average player so far in his career. The Packers gave LB Krys Barnes starting snaps in 2020 and 2021, leading to 161 tackles and two sacks over 29 games. He missed 11 weeks last year due to ankle and concussion issues. Rookie LB BJ Ojulari slips into the starting lineup after Arizona added him in the second round in 2023. He projects to improve their pass rush with some questions about his value in the run game.

CB Marco Wilson had improvement in his coverage last year while delivering 58 tackles, three interceptions, and 10 defended passes. He offers minimal help in run support with too many missed tackles. Isiah Simmons will make the transition from safety to cornerback in 2023. Over the past two years, he delivered 204 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, and 14 defended passes. S Budda Baker has been a top tackler for the Cardinals over five seasons, helping him rank highly vs. the run. He allows a high catch rate while facing only a couple of targets per game. S Jalen Thompson is a third player at the third level of Arizona’s defense, with more than 100 tackles over the previous two seasons. He has four interceptions and 15 defended passes in 2021 and 2022.

This defense has competitive players in their secondary, but a ton of tackles by their safeties and cornerback suggest weakness at linebacker. I don’t see any star players with plenty of questions at defensive tackle and linebacker. This defense will be found in the free-agent pool in all fantasy formats.