Earlier in the offseason, Arizona Cardinals starting inside linebacker Daryl Washington was suspended by the NFL for a violation of the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. According to the NFL, Washington has been suspended for at least one full season. This will play a major role in their defense, especially because their other starting inside linebacker from the 2013 season, Karlos Dansby, left for the Cleveland Browns during free agency.
The Cardinals will miss a lot this season with Washington out. He was already the leader of their very talented front seven. The Cardinals run a 3-4 defensive front and when a team runs a 3-4 they count on their linebackers to stay clean and make a lot of tackles.
Washington is quick, agile, and a sure tackler. He is very good against the run, although 2013 was a bit of a down year for him in that department (part of which could be attributed to missing time early in the season due to an injury). In 2012 he had a PFF (subscription) rating of 9.8 against the run. In 2013 he had a rating of -5.9 against the run. The same holds true for his pass rushing ability; in 2012 he had a PFF rating of 7.5 and in 2013 he had a rating of -2.6. His coverage ability at the linebacker position is another attribute that makes him important to the Cardinals since the tight end position in NFL is evolving into much more of a pass catching position. His PFF rating in coverage last season was an 8.8.
Not only do the Cardinals lose all of the stats with Washington out, they miss their leader in the middle of the defense, the quarterback on defense. With Dansby gone as well, it forces second year linebacker Kevin Minter to step up and be a leader. In his rookie campaign, Minter only played two defensive snaps all season. This season he will be starting Week One and is the new leader of the front seven. Minter would have been starting this season with or without Washington in the lineup, but Washington being out forces Minter into the play-calling role for a veteran defense.
Another consequence of Washington being suspended is the Cardinals are now forced to start NFL veteran Larry Foote. Foote spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and barely played. When he was the starter for the Steelers the year before that he earned a PFF rating of -11.9 for the season. It’s no wonder he lost the starting job in 2013. So after having a terrible 2012 season and basically having the 2013 season off, the Cardinals now have to depend on Foote as their starting inside linebacker. This, of course, is a position no team wants to be in. The Cardinals just have to hope he can still tackle at least fairly well and that his instincts don’t fail him because he certainly doesn’t have the physical tools to make up for deficiencies in either of those.
The Cardinals run a defense that is very dependent on their linebackers making tackles. Washington being suspended this season obviously hurts that a lot. Being in the NFC West, they are going to face some scary offensive lines and even scarier run games. This means they will rely on their coaches to hide some of their weaknesses and their defensive line to step up. It’s a tall task and only time will tell how the Cardinals will fare.