The Cardinals were victorious on Monday night against the Chargers, but the team suffered a major loss for the remainder of the season when outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck tore his ACL on a punt play in the third quarter.
“It’s a part of the game, but it’s tough to swallow at times,” coach Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday. “Obviously we know what he puts into the game and to his craft at being a pro and the teammate that he is. That’s going to hurt.”
Gardeck went down and grabbed his right knee, the same one he injured in 2020. He now becomes the fifth starter on the Cardinals front seven to land on injured reserve, joining outside linebacker BJ Ojulari, defensive lineman Darius Robinson, Bilal Nichols, and Justin Jones.
“It really doesn’t matter if it’s one or however many guys,” Gannon said. “Anybody that’s on your team, you feel terrible for, but it’s tough.”
The seventh-year pro finishes the season with 20 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, and an interception.
The Cardinals defensive pass rush had a good performance on Monday against the Chargers, but after losing Ojulari during training camp and now Gardeck, the trajectory of the unit changes yet again.
