Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Arizona Cardinals have had a pretty solid week in free agency. They snagged Josh Sweat, the former Pro Bowl pass rusher who just won a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles, and they also got quarterback Kyler Murray a strong backup in Jacoby Brissett.
But Arizona’s front four on defense needed a little more help, and on Wednesday, they got some help there by signing veteran defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to a two-year contract worth $29 million.
This move may go a bit under the radar, but it is a sizable one for a Cardinals team that plays in an NFC West division that suddenly looks a lot tougher. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks have loaded up, and despite losing several key contributors, the San Francisco 49ers remain very talented.
Tomlinson’s production has fallen off a bit since his days with the Minnesota Vikings. But last season, he had 3.0 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and six sacks, and he will team up with Sweat to give Arizona a much-improved pass-rushing attack.
Last season, not one player had more than 5.0 sacks for Arizona.
Tomlinson, 31, spent the last two seasons with the Browns. He was originally a second-round draft pick by the Vikings in 2017 out of Alabama.