Since that time, Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort have made it a point to bolster the D-line room, signing players like Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, and drafting Darius Robinson in the first round. But Lopez has worked to find himself as a starter, a holdover important to keep.
“If you had 90 Roys you’d be good to go,” Gannon said. “Roy keeps a good attitude. He’s always working on his game. He’s team-first. He’s willing to do whatever you tell him to do. He’s got a smile on his face. He’s a phenomenal human being.”
The Cardinals have a handful of players that were multi-sport athletes prior to reaching the NFL. Whether it’s Kyler Murray’s past with baseball, Christian Jones on the soccer pitch, or Lopez locking up opponents on the mat, Gannon sees value in a player with experience in multiple sports.
“It definitely helps when you’re really young (with) coordination, whether it be hand-eye coordination or how you run,” Gannon said. “Spatial awareness is huge so typically playing a bunch of different sports, you learn. Your body goes through that and then hopefully, it helps you out through your real sport.”
During the offseason, Lopez uses combat sport activities as part of his training. It includes boxing and working on his wrestling grappling techniques since he can use the hand-to-hand contact in his arsenal against offensive lineman. As a wrestler, the go-to move was a snatch, a pull-down move.
“It all goes hand in hand,” Lopez said. “When someone is leaning too much into you, you pull them on a pass rush.”
Each time Lopez walks out onto the practice field, temperature clocking in at over 100 degrees, the defensive tackle feels like he’s in familiar and comfortable territory.
“When I line up, you’re tired, I’m tired, but I know I’m looking at you right now and it’s me versus you,” Lopez said. “But it’s me all day for four quarters and I know I got a little bit more than you do. I know I worked a little bit harder. I pushed myself because I wrestled and because I boxed. I did all of those things.
“Maybe that did come from wrestling at 2 and 3 years old. I’m sure it did with that gladiator warrior feeling of it’s just you and him. There’s ten other guys on that field, but when you line up, it’s me and you all day. So having that mindset of someone’s coming out a winner, it’s the greatest feeling.”
