Dante Stills has always “stood on business.”
Coming into the league as a sixth-round pick, it was a necessity to do so to secure a spot on the team. It appeared like an uphill climb for the defensive lineman to make an impact during his first season. Yet after L.J. Collier and Carlos Watkins went down with injuries in 2023, Stills earned playing time. He finished the year leading the defensive line with 3.5 sacks.
It was much of the same in 2024 after the Cardinals brought back Collier, signed Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, and drafted Darius Robinson. But after Robinson and the free agent signees were sidelined, Stills once again found himself playing more snaps, and once again, had the most sacks on the defensive line with 4.5.
Defensive line improvement was a focal point of the offseason with the additions of Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, and drafting Walter Nolen III.
Stills has seen this story before.
“I feel like I’m definitely comfortable in what I’m doing with my game,” Stills said. “(Roster) status-wise, yeah, I’ve talked with the coaches about that, but I got to go out there and stand on business every day.”
Despite the revamped unit, Stills, along with Robinson, continue to be the players along the front to consistently stand out during training camp practices. While coach Jonathan Gannon routinely suggests not making a big deal about who is getting first-team reps, the three-man defensive front featured the most has been Campbell, Tomlinson, and Robinson.
When Campbell — who has made it clear he is at his best when limited to 30 or 35 snaps a game — comes out, that’s when Stills comes in.
“I know the game a lot better,” Stills said. “I know this scheme very well and I know this locker room very well. I’m very in tune with what’s going on and I’m excited for this group. I feel like this group is going to be very dominant this year, and you can see it.”