Arizona Cardinals S Jalen Thompson believes team will be 'defensive-led' in 2025
Arizona Cardinals S Jalen Thompson believes team will be 'defensive-led' in 2025 Jalen Thompson believes the additions to the D-line and secondary will make the Cardinals defense what lead the team.
The Arizona Cardinals have been known as an offensively led team for several years, basically since quarterback Kyler Murray was drafted first overall in 2019. Since Murray came back from his ACL tear two seasons ago, the offense has been a top-10 unit in terms of efficiency.
Will that continue?
Safety Jalen Thompson doesn't think so.
"This is gonna be a defensive-led team in my opinion," Thompson said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM last week during the first week of OTAs. "I just think that it's one of those things where, like we were talking about a little bit earlier, we were in games, a lot of games last year with the defense, and we could have won those games if we had a little more, I feel like."
The Cardinals lost by one score to the Buffalo Bills and had no answer for Josh Allen. They gave up a game-winning score in the final minutes against the Minnesota Vikings and allowed the Carolina Panthers to score 36 points.
One stop in those three games and the Cardinals are an 11-win team and in the postseason.
"This year should be a little bit different," Thompson said. "We got the D-line, some new guys in the D-line. We got some new guys in the in the DB room that are all ready to go. They're intentional, they come to practice, they're consistent.
"I think that should be good for us."
In free agency, the signed OLB Josh Sweat, DL Dalvin Tomlinson and DL Calais Campbell, They re-signed OLB Baron Browning and DL L.J. Collier. OLB BJ Ojulari, DL Justin Jones and DL Bilal Nichols are all coming back from injuries. They drafted DL Walter Nolen in the first round and CB Will Johnson in the second round.
This defense should the best unit from the Cardinals we have seen since the first half of the 2021 season.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Heisman Trophy QB Matt Leinart Speaks Out On Bills Mafia
Heisman Trophy QB Matt Leinart Speaks Out On Bills Mafia originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There isn't a fan base quite like the Bills Mafia. Although the Buffalo Bills have struggled to end their Super Bowl drought throughout the years, their audience has been one of the most loyal and passionate in football. Advertisement Even players who never succeeded with the team saw love from the Buffalo faithful. Matt Leinart, the Heisman Trophy winner from USC, struggled mightily throughout his NFL career. The former 10th overall pick played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and lasted just six seasons in the league. After signing a contract with the Bills during the 2013 offseason, Leinart didn't even make it into his seventh year. He was released before the start of the 2013 season and retired shortly thereafter. On his Throwbacks podcast, though, Leinart not only appreciated his short time with the Bills but also loved his experience with the Bills Mafia. Advertisement "I saw firsthand like Buffalo, like Bills Mafia, how awesome their fans were," said Leinart, who spent five days in Buffalo. "They treated me great for the first couple of days. That's why I was like, 'I love Buffalo.'" Many other players have adored their time with the Bills because of their fan base. What makes the Bills Mafia so special is that they continue to be loyal to their players even when things don't work out well. Buffalo has struggled to win in the playoffs, yet the fan base has not gotten discouraged. They remain as loyal and passionate as ever. Leinart didn't have much time with the town but knows just how special the entire franchise experience can be. Related: Bills' 'Magical' James Cook Gets Brutal Prediction from Insider This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
The NFC West's receiving corps, ranked by PFF
PFF ranked all 32 teams' receiving corps this offseason. See where the four NFC West teams rank. We like to say that the offseason is for lists and rankings, and this offseason is no different. We have new rankings from PFF. These rankings compare the receiving corps of all 32 NFL teams. The Philadelphia Eagles, with their group of receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Dallas Goedert, comes in at No. 1. But what about the pass catchers of the NFC West? NFL receiving corps rankings: The NFC West No. 5 overall: San Francisco 49ers They have perhaps the best tight end in the league in George Kittle and the best all-around back in the NFL in Christian McCaffrey. Brandon Aiyuk is great but coming off makor knee surgery. Ricky Pearsall is promising and Jauan Jennings was fantastic in 2025. No. 8 overall: Los Angeles Rams They release Cooper Kupp, but they still have Puka Nacua and added Davante Adams. Tutu Atwell will produce as the No. 3 this year. No. 18 overall: Arizona Cardinals Tight end Trey McBride was a monster in 2024 and Marvin Harrison Jr. was good but not great. Many expect a breakout year for Harrison. But the receivers behind them have yet to do much in the NFL, with running back James Conner becoming the most reliable third option in the passing game. No. 20 overall: Seattle Seahawks They cut Tyler Lockett and traded DK Metcalf, so good luck. Jaxson Smith-Njigba is going to be the guy this coming season and they added Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. But they don't have a dynamic tight end, although running back Ken Walker is a solid pass catcher. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals receivers ranked in bottom half of NFL, per PFF
PFF puts the Cardinals' pass catchers in the bottom half of the NFL, coming in at No. 18. In the offseason of rankings and lists, we have some new team rankings for receiving corps. PFF ranked the 32 NFL teams' pass catchers. As you can suppose, the Arizona Cardinals, despite the dynamic play of tight end Trey McBride last season, are not highly ranked. The Cardinals come in at No. 18. The Cardinals tied for 11th in team PFF receiving grade in 2024 (78.3). Tight end Trey McBride was a monster, posting the second-best PFF receiving grade at the position (89.8), and came in at No. 3 in PFF's tight end rankings entering 2025. Marvin Harrison Jr. started off slow in 2024, but the rookie finished the campaign with a solid 77.2 PFF receiving grade. Anyone who follows my draft work knows I am a Michael Wilson believer, plus running back James Conner has recorded some very impressive seasons as a receiver in his career and tallied 414 receiving yards last year. You know there is not major confidence in the receivers when only two of them are even named, and one of the pass catchers mentioned is a running back. McBride was the volume receiver in 2024. Harrison was good but not great. They need more from Wilson and more from someone behind him, whether that is Greg Dortch, Zay Jones or someone else. Because McBride and Harrison will likely be the two focal points of the passing offense in 2025, there might be limited opportunities for Wilson and company, but they ideally could get two more guys to hit about 600 yards or one to hit 750-plus and another at 400-plus to balance out the production. If the Cardinals remain a run-first offense as well, it will also be difficult to showcase the passing game. We shall see what happens in 2025. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
