Pros, Cons of Cardinals Pursuing Big Name Pass Rusher

Should the Arizona Cardinals pursue a big name?

Aug 03, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon (9) waits to do a drill during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals have found themselves in a hole with no pass rushing ability since prime Chandler Jones, and things only got worse recently after second-year man BJ Ojulari tore his ACL in training camp.

Preseason football kicks off on Saturday, and the Cardinals now are without their top pass rusher ahead of the 2024 season.

People have thrown around some names for the Cardinals to go after, with some shooting for the fences and wanting Arizona to make trades for former Pro Bowlers.

While I understand the plight the team has found itself in, the worst thing Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort can do right now is panic and rush to a decision (no pun intended).

Instead, they need a road map of possible candidates along with the pros and cons of whether they should make the move to acquire that player.

We’re going to look at five options that have been linked the most to the Cardinals amid the Ojulari injury and list out their pros and cons plus my overall thoughts on what the team should do.

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Aug 03, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon (9) does a drill during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Judon

Pros:

• Highly productive and proven commodity for several years
• Instantly the best defender on defense

Cons:

• Coming off a serious knee injury
• Turns 32 this month
• Currently in a hold out for a contract extension
• Would have to move capital to acquire him via trade

Sorry to be a wet blanket but acquiring Judon is a pipe dream at best. The Cardinals aren’t in a position where they should be moving capital for an aging player coming off a major injury. The thought of adding Judon to this defense is more exciting than it actually would be to make come to fruition.

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Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) looks on during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Haason Reddick

Pros:

• Highly productive and proven commodity for several years
• Familiarity with Jonathan Gannon as his former DC in Philly
• Instantly the best defender on defense
• Reliable player in terms of availability (has missed one game of 115 possible regular season games)

Cons:

• Currently in a hold-out for a contract extension
• Was just traded to the Jets this offseason – could make swinging him difficult

If Reddick wasn’t already traded this offseason, this would make way too much sense. But moving a player twice in a span of months is unheard of and it’s unlikely that a Jets team who is built to win now will want to move on from their recently acquired ace pass rusher. Then you must factor in a contract extension and whether or not he would even want to return to the desert.

It’s not impossible, but there’s a lot of moving parts that I don’t see coinciding with each other.

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Indianapolis Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) moves in to sack Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Yannick Ngakoue

Pros:

• Highly productive and proven commodity for several years
• Good veteran option in the free agent pool
• Shouldn’t cost too much

Cons:

• Coming off a season ending injury (broken ankle)
• Hasn’t found stability with any team since 2019 (has been with five teams in four years)

Ngakoue is a fun thought to add to this defense. Since entering the league in 2016, Ngakoue has only failed to post eight sacks in a season once. Unfortunately, that one season was last year. How much Ngakoue has left in the tank is uncertain, and coming off an injury won’t help. However, kicking the tires on him doesn’t feel like a bad idea.

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Oct 15, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets defensive end Carl Lawson (58) on the field after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Carl Lawson

Pros:

• Low-cost option in the free agent pool
• Has shown flashes of being a full-time starter

Con:

• Injury prone career (missed 41 of a possible 115 games)
• Several season-ending injuries, and was dealing with a back injury in 2023

You probably won’t find a cheaper option in the free agent market who can also be an instant contributor like Lawson can. The story of his career, unfortunately, has been his inability to stay on the field. What stinks even more is when he is healthy, he’s a beast. The Cardinals would have to decide if rolling the dice is worth it here. On the bright side, he could easily have five-or-more sacks… on the downside, he might have no impact whatsoever.

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Oct 15, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson (90) reacts to making a stop to force a punt against the New York Giants during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Shaq Lawson

Pros:

• Tried and true veteran with tons of play time under his belt
• Low-cost option in the free agent pool

Cons

• Low upside option
• Never had a standout season

Lawson is unspectacular for sure, but he is also the kind of savvy veteran that makes too much sense to connect the dots here. Sure, Lawson isn’t likely to suddenly post a career-high in sacks and make the Pro Bowl, but he’s almost assuredly going to be a steady player you can trust to do his job. And in an absolute best case scenario, he could even turn into a leader in the locker room and a mentor for a young defense.

Maybe it’s not the sexiest option, but Shaq Lawson would be my pick for the Cardinals to sign off the streets. It won’t cost much money and you won’t be giving up any capital to get him. Win-Win.