Dennis Gardeck came in almost invisible when he first got to the Cardinals. He was undrafted, he was a defensive end for Sioux Falls in college, and for a brief time, he looked like a guy who would have to be special just to make the practice squad.<\/p>\n
Now that Gardeck officially won’t be back with the Cardinals — reportedly<\/a> agreeing to a deal with Jacksonville — it’s appropriate to note he turned out so much more than that.<\/p>\n It was Steve Wilks’ lone season as Cardinals coach, and Gardeck — who gave off Pat Tillman vibes immediately<\/a> — earned his spot on that team. He was built to star on special teams, and that’s how he shined. He did the same for new coach Kliff Kingsbury the next year. He did not play a defensive snap for two seasons.<\/p>\n When he finally did get some defensive work, it was 94 snaps in 2020, after the season-ending injury to Chandler Jones. Gardeck finished with an astounding seven sacks in that tiny bit of playing time (and also, his first ACL injury).<\/p>\n Gardeck, like one-time teammate Haason Reddick, was a college pass rusher the Cardinals initially tried to make an inside linebacker. Like Reddick, they figured out Gardeck was better as a natural edge. He showed that again post-ACL by winning starting edge snaps for a third coach<\/a>, after Jonathan Gannon was hired.<\/p>\n