Dennis

Gardeck

“The Barbarian” is a special teams cog for the Cardinals and has shown in the past he can contribute when called upon on defense. He recorded seven sacks on 94 defensive snaps in 2020 before going sack-less on 173 snaps last season.

Gardeck tore his ACL in Week 15 last year and there was speculation early in the summer that he would open the year on the reserve/PUP list. He was insanely efficient last year, turning 94 defensive snaps into seven sacks before going down with the injury. Gardeck is also a regular contributor on special teams and serves as Arizona’s special teams captain.

Gardeck torn his ACL in Week 15 last year. He had a breakout season before going down with seven sacks on just 93 defensive snaps. Even with the injury, Gardeck was still given a second-round tender ($3.39M) this offseason. Assuming he lands on PUP, the Cardinals’ special teams captain should have a chance to return when first eligible in Week 7.

It is Gardeck’s second-round restricted free agent tender. The 27-year-old (in August) will be looking to prove he’s not a one-year wonder after somehow registering seven sacks on just 93 defensive snaps in 2020. The 2018 UDFA previously had zero career quarterback takedowns. He has been active almost every week since arriving in Arizona, though he was previously a strict special teamer. It’s not unheard of for an unknown player to explode for a gaggle of sacks before disappearing again, so the odds are probably still against Gardeck.

The second-round tender is worth $3.384 million. It’s an aggressive move for a 26-year-old player who contributed just 93 snaps on defense last season, but he somehow parlayed them into seven sacks, with most of the production coming late in the year. Needless to say, the Cardinals were intrigued. Gardeck will probably at least quadruple his defensive snaps in 2021. He’s a name to file away in IDP leagues.