The Arizona Cardinals powered through the NFC West, one of the league's strongest divisions in 2015, on the back of an elite passing offense and a defense that seemed to force turnovers and change the momentum of games at exactly the right moment. Unfortunately, their march through the postseason was halted by the Carolina Panthers and, really, quarterback Carson Palmer's sudden inability to complete a pass to anyone in a red jersey. With their sights now set on 2016, Cardinals GM Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians have apparently targeted the need they plan to address early in the 2016 NFL Draft - defensive end.
Tony Pauline of Draft Insider reported Friday that Keim and Co. are planning to target defensive ends in the first round, though they would also like to add a safety.
Considering the defensive scheme they employ, a nebulous term like defensive end may not necessarily mean a pass rusher. Calais Campbell is entering the final year of a five-year, $55 million deal that will cost $15.25 million against the cap in 2016. He's still an elite player - Campbell finished with 61 tackles, 5 sacks and 3 passes defensed last year - but he's also entering his age 30 season and, of course, is in the final year of his deal.
Clemson's Kevin Dodd, who played second fiddle most of the year to highly heralded teammate Shaq Lawson, is a guy that Pauline is hearing many teams actually have graded higher than Lawson. At 6-foot-5, 275-pounds, Dodd is quite the specimen. While some NFL teams are looking at him as an outside linebacker, he will exclusively do defensive line drills at the combine, which is good for a team like the Cardinals that Pauline suggests could be interested in him.
As for safety, Tyrann Mathieu is expected back on a new contract and a new ACL next season, while secondary leader Rashad Johnson and key backup Tony Jefferson are both free agents and seemingly unlikely to return.
If defensive end is the target in the first, players like Boise State's Darian Thompson and USC's Su'a Cravens could be available in the late second.
