Revenge of the Birds
Cards need to add some star power to their defensive front 7
Last night at State Farm Stadium, thousands of Los Angeles Rams’ fans were thanking Michael Bidwill and the Arizona Cardinals for taking such good care of them during their time of dire need and utter despair. (see photo above)
Now perhaps, thanks to the 27-9 licking the Rams put on the suddenly woeful Vikings, the Cardinals can thank the Rams for laying out the blueprint for what Monti Ossenfort and Dave Sears need to accomplish this off-season.
Adding star-quality talent to the defensive line.
It’s frustrating to think this, but in light of the Cardinals having no blue-chip player in their front seven on defense, in the 2024 NFL Draft they could have been the team to select DE Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske. Wouldn’t you know that as soon as Les Snead finally had a 1st round pick to work with, he tabbed DE Jared Verse, the only rookie defensive player in the NFL to make the Pro Bowl.
Look at this drafting coup that Les Snead has created over the past two drafts —- knowing that All-Century DT Aaron Donald was going to retire and that DE Von Miller was just a short-term get you a Super Bowl ring rental.
Think the Rams have always been serious about their pass rush?
By comparison, here are Monti Ossenfort and Dave Sears’ draft picks the past two years at ED and DT:
ROTB Question: how would you compare and contrast the Rams’ and Cardinals’ picks at ED and DT?
Thus far, unfortunately, MODS’s UFA highest-profile signees at DT (Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones) have not worked out due to early, season-ending injuries. The most productive of the DTs MODS have signed:
As for the Cardinals’ most productive edges:
