Nick Rallis' Defense Is Too Slow, Passive, One-Dimensional and Underutilized

courtesy of nfl.com

By Walter Mitchell

This past week Darren Urban of azcardinals.com predicted the Cardinals starting lineups on defense and offense.


A guess at the Cardinals' starting defensive lineup for the 2026 season-opener against the Chargers (azcardinals.com)

Here. are his defensive predictions:

* SOLB Zaven Collins

* SDE Walter Nolen

* NT Roy Lopez

* WDE Darius Robinson

* WOLB Josh Sweat

* MLB Mack Wilson Sr.

* LCB Will Johnson

* SS Budda Baker

* FS Dadrion Taylor-Demerson

* SCB Sean Muprhy-Bunting

* RCB Denzel Burke

Yikes. 

Here are their 2025 tackling grades:

* SOLB Zaven Collins - 38.8

* SDE Walter Nolen - 73.8

* NT Roy Lopez - 53.0

* WDE Darius Robinson - 52.9

* WOLB Josh Sweat - 69.3

* MLB Mack Wilson Sr. - 41.9

* LCB Will Johnson - 51.2

* SS Budda Baker - 47.4

* FS Dadrion Taylor-Demerson - 74.8

* SCB Sean Muprhy-Bunting - 29.3 (2024)

* RCB Denzel Burke - 34.5

Note: One can readily see why the Cardinals were the worst tackling defense in the NFL in 2025. Only Walter Nolen (in 6 games) and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. Nolen did not start in any games and Taylor-Demerson started only 4 games. 

The stunning anomaly here is Budda Baker, who for years has been the Cardinals' best and most productive tackler. Perhaps Budda got tired of having to be the only player to cover for everyone else's poor tackling efforts. But, as I argued during the season last year, Nick Rallis' "caution and cushion" defense has eviscerated his ability to storm the alleys to get to the ball carrier before he can make a cut up field. This is a matter of split seconds. Moving Budda full-time to strong safety and giving him the freedom to take first steps forward, rather than backward should help him have a huge bounce back year. That, and utilizing him as a run and pass blitzer, should help Budda play faster and more suddenly. 

Pass Rush Grades/Sacks:

* SOLB Zaven Collins --- 69.7 --- 1.5

* SDE Walter Nolen --- 80.1 --- 2.0

* NT Roy Lopez --- 63.6 --- 2.0

* WDE Darius Robinson --- 41.0 --- 1.0

* WOLB Josh Sweat --- 73.6 --- 12.0

Note: This is the #30th pass rushing team in the NFL. And the Cardinals are running it back, this time under the leadership of former Texas Longhorns DC Pete Kwaitkowski. He has some athletes to work with here and if he gets the green light to turn them loose in an effort to disrupt plays in the backfield, then the team's fortunes could change. 

Coverage Grade/Interceptions:

* Mack Wilson Sr. --- 59.8 --- 1

* Will Johnson --- 60.7 --- 0

* Budda Baker --- 35.7 --- 1

* Dadrion Taylor-Demerson --- 57.3 --- 2

* Sean Muprhy-Bunting --- 53.1 (2024) --- 3 (2024)

* Denzel Burke ---61.2 --- 3

Note: Sorry to have to say this but if this is the Cardinals' secondary this season, they and the team have very little chance to win. This is by far the slowest, least aggressive and weakest tackling secondary in the NFL. This is a secondary where playing man to man coverage is an absolute liability. The only one potentially proficient in man coverage is Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. The others lack the requisite speed and agility. The good news is the Cardinals have stronger athletes who are far better served to play man coverage to turn to in Cody Simon, Owen Pappoe, Karson Sharar. Max Melton, Elijah Jones, Starling Thomas V and Kitan Crawford. The bad news thus far has been Nick Rallis' inability to develop these better athletes. 

In today's NFL, defenses with speed and the tackling "want to" are the most difficult to exploit. 

40 Times

ILB:

Mack Wilson Sr. --- 4.71

Cody Simon --- 4.59

Owen Pappoe --- 4.39


LCB

Will Johnson --- 4.58

Elijah Jones --- 4.44


RCB

Denzel Burke --- 4.48

Max Melton --- 4.39

Starling Thomas V --- 4.38


In my opinion, this is the best, most athletic, quickest and versatile defensive lineup for the Cardinals this year:

LOLB: Jordan Burch (6-4, 279, 4.67)

LDE: Walter Nolen (6-6, 310, 4.96)

NT: Roy Lopez (6-2, 312, 5.19)

RDE: Darius Robinson (6-5, 290, 4.95)

WOLB: Josh Sweat (6-5. 265, 4.53)

MILB: Cody Simon (6-2, 230, 4.59)

WILB: Owen Pappoe (6-0, 230, 4.39)

LCB: Elijah Jones (6-2, 185, 4.44)

SS: Budda Baker (5-10, 195, 4.45)

FS: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (5-10, 197, 4.41)

RCB: Max Melton (5-11, 187, 4.39)

NCB: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson

NFS: Andrew Wingard (6-0, 200, 4.57)

Short Film Session with Red Rain's friend, Marcos Labrada


Walter B J Mitchell
@WBJMItch

Marcos, thank you. This is such an excellent analysis of two the Cardinals' many breakdowns on defense vs CIN. This is the epitome of why we call the Cardinals' base coverages "soft zones." And why I have been calling the philosophy of Gannon's/Rallis' defense "caution and cushion." Fascinating too that of the 7 CBs the Cardinals have drafted in 3 years, Denzel Burke has emerged as the best cover guy over much more heralded players like Garrett Williams, Max Melton and Will Johnson. Meanwhile the Cardinals coaches are playing Darren Hall and Jaden Davis over 2024 3rd round pick Elijah Jones, who in pre-season, routinely broke up the deep passes that Hall and Burks whiff on here. Yet the caveat with Burke is his consistent liability as a tackler. Unless he shows a far greater want-to and attention to proper tackling techniques, no competent NFL GM or HC should want to play him. Did anyone see Burke's poor technique and subsequent whiff on JaMarr Chase's opening drive TD on a simple swing pass? Yet, after the game Gannon said he thought the team effort was good. Which is precisely why Gannon is incorrigibly delusional.

PancakesSoul
@PancakesSoul

Embarrassing breakdown, cover 3 miscommunication the first time, that's fine let's just do the same exact thing again.

Watch the two videos that Marcus dissects so well:

https://x.com/PancakesSoul/status/2005962900758827096?s=20

https://x.com/PancakesSoul/status/2005962900758827096?s=20









 

Comments

  1. JethroBodineJune 20, 2026 at 9:42 AM

    If I were Baker, I wouldn't give 100% risking injury on a team that doesn't know WTF they're doing and can't or won't hire anyone who does. He's not the biggest guy and I still think he's just going through the motions, staying healthy for life after the Cardinals. I supported MO long enough and can't do it anymore. He's basically running back the same (Total Yards Allowed: 27th and Points Allowed: 29th defense which is disheartening. This season will be interesting, but it could get extremely ugly fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyle LedbetterJune 20, 2026 at 10:47 AM

      At that point, you might as well play the young players because you have nothing to lose. Go with Simon. Go with Elijah Jones. Go with Max Melton. Their success is the only chance you have to keep your job

      Delete
  2. Kyle LedbetterJune 20, 2026 at 10:40 AM

    Cody Simon is a must start, that's for sure.

    I still think Will Johnson has too much talent to give up on right now (acknowledging the poor tackling from last year)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Since 61June 20, 2026 at 11:47 AM

    The depth chart for the 2026-27 Arizona Cardinals season should be earned in camp. Regardless of salary, hype, or draft slot, it's competition that should dictate who starts, who backs up, and who sits on the bench. That's what every player expects from camp and from the franchise that controls his ability to play and earn a living. It's also how players become leaders.
    Leadership is what this team has lacked and what it desperately needs. Calais Campbell couldn't lead this defense alone last season, even with help from Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson. And like Thompson, the leader of the offense — maybe of the entire locker room — Jacoby Brissett will be gone, his leadership apparently not valued by the organization.
    Wins will be too few this season, and losses (some in devastating fashion) way too many. Forget it. The most important job of Mike Lefluer and staff, despite an organization that has too long dismissed leadership as a priority, is to find football players who can lead.
    Next offseason should be the culmination of a fitful, multi-year reboot of front office, coaching staff, and roster. Next year, the Cardinals' version of Joe Burrow should fall into their lap. We need a core of leaders — players who want to play here, live here, and flourish here — to finally close the book on this rebuild.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Simpleman 2026June 22, 2026 at 3:43 PM

    Monti should had been fired. This D will be terrible again

    ReplyDelete

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