Pro Football Focus Picks Landing Spots for Top Two Cardinals Free Agents
The Arizona Cardinals are set to lose two valuable defensive pieces to free agency in Zach Allen and Byron Murphy.
Allen came on particularly strong last season while Murphy struggled with injuries down the stretch of the year. Both are young and could be key pieces to Arizona's rebuild under new head coach Jonathan Gannon.
The Cardinals would love to keep both players in Arizona, though things don't always work out as such.
Pro Football Focus recently took their stab on landing spots with their top 50 free agents list, and one of Arizona's top players set to walk indeed find another place to play.
Zach Allen
2023 team prediction: Seattle Seahawks
"Allen stays in the NFC West but moves north to join the Seahawks in this exercise. Allen is coming off the best year of his career, totaling 35 pressures and 5.5 sacks this season in only 12 games. With Poona Ford set to hit free agency, the Seahawks need an injection of youth in their interior defensive line, as both Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson are going to be 30 years old when the season starts," said PFF.
"The Seahawks need an edge defender, and Allen has had some experience playing outside linebacker in some spots for the Cardinals, so he could move out there for a couple of snaps per game, if necessary."
Byron Murphy
2023 team prediction: Arizona Cardinals
"Murphy has been a staple for the Cardinals' defense over the past four years, so it makes sense for him to return for 2023. Playing in Vance Joseph’s aggressive scheme, which relies on more man coverage than zone, didn’t really seem to match his skill set, as Murphy recorded a higher PFF coverage grade in zone than man coverage from 2020-22," said PFF.
"New Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon ran one of the heaviest zone coverage schemes in the NFL last season and will likely bring that over to Arizona, which should help Murphy thrive a bit more."
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