Cardinals Hope Local Talent Can Help Rebuild

The Arizona Cardinals don't exactly go out of their way to find local talent, but it sure does help when a handful of Arizona State Sun Devils are in the building.

The Cardinals currently have two former ASU players - Kyle Soelle and Matt Haack - at their rookie minicamp this weekend. Haack is one of four players on a try out while Soelle is one of 10 undrafted free agents at the facility along with Arizona's 2023 NFL Draft class.

Soelle played linebacker at Arizona State and led the team with 110 tackles last season while also adding two interceptions. Haack has been in the league since 2017.

"Hometown guy, hometown team, really just a dream come true," Soelle told reporters yesterday. "And I'm just thankful. And I'm really privileged to have this opportunity. Every day just trying to keep the dream alive and just do my best to get better every day, you know, and find a way to help his team."

Soelle has some familiarity on the roster, as former Sun Devils defensive assistant Rob Rodriguez is now on staff as an outside linebackers coach.

"I can play all special teams, all four core, and anything I can do to help the defense I'm willing to do."

Soelle arrives to a linebacker unit that has Zaven Collins, Kyzir White and Isaiah Simmons (pending), so his most useful contributions right away could very well be special teams - if he does make the roster.

Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said following the draft that adding Soelle was a no-brainer.

"Not only did we get to see the skill set and the movement skills, but we also got to see kind of the leadership and the work ethic. It was really cool. That was a unique perspective because it was like, 'Man, we get to work with this guy.' We knew that this was a guy we would love to have as part of our squad."

Haack has the opportunity to potentially win the starting job as Andy Lee has not been re-signed.

For the undrafted guys, head coach Jonathan Gannon says everybody will get the opportunity to compete.

"Everyone's treated equal now. So you know, everyone will get the same opportunity to help our team win and then grow as players. I talked to them yesterday about 'How are you going to add value to this organization.' And everyone does that in different ways. But you have to add value to the organization. And I think they understand that, and we'll carve out their roles for them as we get going."

Voluntary OTA's begin on May 22. Mandatory Minicamp begins June 13.