Dante Stills had an impressive rookie season, especially for a sixth-round pick. And Collier, who was hurt in the 2023 season opener, has returned after playing well in last year’s training camp. The Cards also added nose tackle Khyiris Tonga as a free agent.
As with everything Ossenfort does, it was an intentional restructure.
“Monti ultimately makes that stuff happen,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said. “The role of the coaches is to help create a clear picture of what we think the role of each guy can be. As a front office you don’t know how things are going to go exactly throughout free agency and the draft and that’s why you have to go through the process of every guy and have a vision of what it can be.”
The Cardinals “brought people in with the same mindset” of what already was in place, Lopez said.
The optimism with which both Jones and Nichols carry has been apparent, as has the chemistry – yes, they are the new guys, but the unit went to weekly dinners in the offseason and already have bonded, Nichols said.
“I love our meetings,” Robinson said. “I just sit back, take notes, listen to dialogue. It’s awesome being in the meeting room with those two vets. We’re going to have a really good D-Line this year.”
That’s all Jones and Nichols wanted. Jones loves the fact how much each of them were wanted for these roles. There still isn’t much name recognition for the group nationally, but that’s OK. They know improvement must be proven over time.
“Those types of expectations, those types of thoughts are what I thrive on,” Nichols said. “I work so hard to get someone to see that vision of me. I take full pride in it, and I want to prove them right.”
