The Arizona Cardinals are focusing on strengthening their interior defensive line as they prepare to face the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. The team’s approach reflects a growing trend in the NFL, where generating pressure from inside the line has become increasingly important.
Quarterback Kyler Murray acknowledged the challenge posed by dominant interior linemen like Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons. “Speaking about it in general, I feel like internally (on the line) it’s probably worse no matter who it is, right? Obviously, (Simmons) is a great player. I’d probably rather have a guy coming off the edge. That’d be my vote. Internally it happens so fast, happens and it’s in your face. As far as coming off the edge, (you have) angles and it’s probably easier to escape in a sense,” Murray said.
Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who continues to play at a high level for Arizona at age 39, emphasized how critical pressure up the middle can be for both offensive and defensive success. “If you can get guys getting penetration up front it makes it harder for every quarterback,” Campbell said. “He sees that pressure much quicker. Off the edge he might not see the guy with eyes downfield and it might lead to more turnover opportunities — in front of him, he can protect the ball — but it’s tough to throw the ball over big tall dudes like DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, myself. The last 10-plus years, the big guys in the middle, we’ve been tough.”
Campbell also noted that while players like Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt have set a standard for interior disruption, Arizona has invested heavily in its own group of interior defenders by using first-round picks on Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen III in consecutive seasons and signing veterans such as Campbell himself and Dalvin Tomlinson.
“The most important part of the pass rush is the guy in the middle who can crush the pocket,” Campbell added. “A guy can step up to avoid outside rushers but if you crush the pocket, there is nowhere to step up. Production goes up for everybody.”
