Jonathan Gannon is satisfied with his defense

Those who have been worried about the Cardinals' pass rush for two years may have been surprised to hear that the second-year head coach is confident and “happy” with his current pass rushing personnel.

It's worth noting that Jonathan Gannon also said that the “dust (on the roster moves) won't settle until Monday,” so perhaps Monti has fired up his big old Weber grill and is ready to cook up a tasty trade burger or two over Labor Day weekend.

One speculation circulating on social media is a possible trade between the Cardinals and the Giants for edge Azeez Ojulari. Azeez is a fourth-year player who I have been looking at as a viable trade for months, even before his brother was injured.

Of course, there is still an opportunity for the Cardinals to make a move to re-sign Haason Reddick. His connections to Gannon and Nick Rallis could make sense. A multi-year deal would then allow the Cardinals to draft BPA in 2025. If nothing changes right now, drafting an advantage in Round 1 seems to be the team's top priority.

However, with Jonathan Gannon happy with his current defense, Monti may be able to quit his job and take the weekend off.

The fact that the Cardinals didn't seem to be active during the waiver requests could confirm JG's convenience.

Reasons for optimism:

Check out what Jonathan Gannon has to say about Roy Lopez and how excited NT Roy Lopez is to play for Gannon and Hick Rallis:

This is perhaps Jonathan Gannon's greatest strength as a coach – he gets a whole bunch of players excited, makes them feel good and, best of all, revels in their overwhelming love of the game. This year, the mood among the players has been one of elation and exuberance on a daily basis. Kudos to Gannon and the coaches in general for their energy and morale-boosting abilities.

Rallies Rallies

Speaking of coaches, hearing Nick Rallis talk about his offseason game plan is cause for great hope. One of the things he's preparing for is 10 games in the first 8 weeks, with the Cardinals playing the Rams and 49ers, NFC West rivals they'll face again later in the season.

Nick Rallis has this week off to prepare for the Seahawks, who the Cardinals will play twice in the first three weeks after the break.

Nick Rallis is a smart, young coordinator. This season, he faces the difficult task of thwarting Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford (twice), Jared Goff, Jayden Daniels, Brock Purdy (twice), Jordan Love, Justin Hebert, Tua Tagovailoa, Caleb Williams, Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith (twice), Sam Arnold, Drake Maye and Bryce Young, not to mention all the great OCs and playmakers those QBs work with. This is a relative “who's who” of first-round QBs.

A diamond in the rough?

Xavier Thomas is no newcomer to the spotlight. He played the last six seasons at Clemson and helped the Tigers win an NCAA championship in 2018 before running into trouble like so many players during the Covid years. Despite being the fourth-best high school recruit in the U.S. when he enrolled at Clemson, his highest sack total in any of his six seasons was 4.5 in 2021, and he had just 18 total sacks in 6 seasons. His surprising lack of productivity is why Xavier Thomas held out until the number 138 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

However, Xavier Thomas has already burst on the scene for the Cardinals. In two preseason games, he recorded 8 quarterback pressures and 2 sacks while showing outstanding quickness and speed to get to the quarterback time and time again.

O captain! My captain!

Expected starters in defense:

• SOLB Zaven Collins (6-4, 260, 4, Tulsa)
• SDE Bilal Nichols (6-3, 313, 7, Delaware)
• NT Roy Lopez (6-2, 310, 4, Arizona)
• WDE Justin Jones (6-3, 309, 7, North Carolina St.)
• WOLB Dennis Gardeck (6-0, 232, 7, Sioux Falls)
• SILB Kyzir White (6-2, 234, 7, West Virginia)
• WILB Mack Wilson Sr. (6-1, 246, 6, Alabama)
• LCB Sean Murphy-Bunting (6-0, 195, 6, Central Michigan)
• SS Jalen Thompson (5-11, 190, 6, Washington St.)
• FS Budda Baler (5-10, 195, 8, Washington)
• RCB Garrett Williams (5-10, 192, 2, Syracuse)

What observations and instincts do you have regarding this defense?