Arizona Cardinals Safety Pressure Cut-Up
The most unique defense in the NFL lives in the desert and is powered by one of the best Safeties in the league, Budda Baker.
Jonathan Gannon is a defensive coach who came to Arizona from Philadelphia. He was tasked with sorting out the island of misfit toys that was his defensive roster and getting Kyer Murray motivated and playing at a high level. To help Murray, Gannon brought in Drew Petzing, who had worked under Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski is widely regarded as one of the better football coaches in the league, regardless of his record or quarterback situation. Petzing focused on establishing a consistent running game and utilized 12 personnel (two tight ends) packages to achieve this.
Running back James Conner was a perfect fit and has flourished in the run-dominant scheme. TE Trey McBride, drafted in 2022, has also grown in the offense, becoming one of the premier TEs in the league. He had 111 receptions last year on 139 targets for over 1,149 yards receiving. With a more robust offense, Murray has evolved into one of the better quarterbacks in terms of production (FV Pro).
Under the former head coach and current Commanders offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, the defensive personnel had been an amalgamation of hybrid players and an overall lack of talent. Isiah Simmons is the poster child for this.
Simmons didn’t have a designated position, and despite his athleticism, it was challenging for Arizona to secure a stable spot for him on the roster. General Manager Monti Ossenfort, who was hired in tandem with Gannon, traded him to the Giants in August 2023 before Gannon even coached his first game.
Zay Collins, another ‘joker’ defender, had better success. Once Collins was moved to Edge full-time in Gannon’s defense, he stabilized his play. Collins is one of the best coverage Edges in the NFL, and in Gannon’s unique defense, he is a perfect fit. Ironically, the hybrid nature of Gannon’s defense has led to their success.
Nick Rallis was hired as the defensive coordinator and worked under Gannon in Philadelphia. The Eagles' scheme under Gannon was Fangio-adjacent. Vic Fangio himself was a consultant on their 2022 Super Bowl run. Gannon favored more Quarters coverage calls, but the similarities were there.
Along with Rallis, Gannon hired former Florida defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, a ‘coach’s favorite’ across the country and well-connected within the Aranda/Roberts-Saban/Smart universe. He coached on the legendary 2013 Southeastern Louisiana staff under Ron Roberts (Florida DC), alongside Pete Golding (Ole Miss DC) and Karl Scott (Seahawks Passing Game Coordinator).
Unsurprisingly, with a defensive roster lacking in talent and a slew of creative minds, the Arizona defense evolved into something unique, especially in a league riddled with copycat or system clones. One addition to this year’s team, Mac Wilson Sr., is an excellent example of how the Cardinals want to use players in multiple roles.
Wilson is an average linebacker, but one of the best when blitzing or aligned as an Edge defender. These hybrid off-ball LBs have become a critical position in today’s game. Frankie Luvu for the Commanders was an All-Pro last year, utilized in a split off-ball/Edge way.
The Cardinals have leaned into the one position where they are elite, safety. Arizona operates a ‘three-safety’ system, utilizing the abilities of Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, and Garrett Williams. Williams is technically a CB, but spends over 10% of his snaps as a Hash Safety, allowing Baker to move around and be placed into position by Arizona’s coverage calls.
The ‘base’ defense for the Cardials is a 3-4, but Gannon doesn’t always align with other Fangio-adjacent systems. In 2023, the Cardinals led the NFL in Quarters usage, running the coverage on almost a third of their downs, which is not a highly run coverage in most Fangio defenses. In Gannon’s first year, the Cardinals ran coverage disguises on 30% of their snaps, which was higher than the league average (~25%) but one of the lowest in the Fangio ecosystem.
The ‘base’ defense for the Cardials is a 3-4, but Gannon doesn’t always align with other Fangio-adjacent systems. In 2023, the Cardinals led the NFL in Quarters usage, running the coverage on almost a third of their downs, which is not a highly run concept in most Fangio defenses. In Gannon’s first year, the Cardinals ran coverage disguises on 30% of their snaps, which was higher than the league average (~25%) but one of the lowest in the Fangio ecosystem.
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