Are Cardinals Potential Fit for Joey Bosa?

Edge rusher is undeniably the top need for the Arizona Cardinals this offseason.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis did a lot with a little last season, but that success is simply unsustainable. In order to remain a good team for getting after the quarterback, they need to upgrade the pass rushing room starting off the edge.

The upcoming 2025 NFL Draft class is loaded with pass rushers that would fit what this defense likes. Free agency has a slew of guys to fancy, as well. And of course, there are players potentially up for trade, none more so than Myles Garrett.

One name is flying a bit under the radar at the moment, and that’s Los Angeles Chargers star Joey Bosa.

The stud edge rusher has become one of the faces of their franchise since his arrival as a rookie in 2016. However, things appear to be changing for the worse and his future with the team is uncertain.

Bosa has one year remaining on his contract, but LA can recoup over $25 million with a release of the Ohio State product. Considering his recent history with injuries and poor production, it’s hard to blame them.

Still, Bosa is an ace pass rusher when healthy and he’ll no doubt be a sought-after player should he become available.

Is Bosa someone that the Cardinals may show interest in bringing in?

There’s plenty of perks for adding Bosa to this team, but there are of course some drawbacks as well. Allow me to show you both sides of the coin here and allow you to decide for yourself.

Why Bosa to Arizona Makes Sense

Let’s start simple, shall we? This is Joey Bosa we’re talking about. Since entering the league in 2016 as the third overall pick, Bosa has terrorized opposing quarterbacks. Bosa has racked up 72 career sacks including four double-digit sack seasons, his most recent being 2021, along with 17 forced fumbles.

The Ohio State product has also been to the Pro Bowl five times, including this past season, and won Defensive Rookie of the Year in his league debut.

As far as accolades are concerned, Bosa is not lacking.

It’s also worth noting that Bosa turns 30-years-old in July. Sure, he’ll be on the wrong side of 30, but that age milestone isn’t as critical to the edge rushing position as it is for others. Bosa could easily have several more seasons of solid-to-good production left in the tank.

His fit with the Cardinals would be a good one. Bosa has seen time standing up and with his hand in the dirt for multiple defensive alignments in his nine seasons with production across the board. A versatile Cards’ defense would be able to get the vet all over the place and set him up for unique success and matchups he hasn’t seen in a while.

And of course, Bosa’s addition gives Arizona a much-needed voice for the defense. Budda Baker has established himself as the heart and soul of the team, but there aren’t too many veteran defenders who can raise the standard and lead the charge. Bosa could come right in and do that as someone who the youngsters will look up to.

Where Bosa goes, the pack follows.

Why Bosa Doesn't Make Sense for Cardinals

Injuries. It always has been and always will be the biggest drawback with Bosa.

In nine seasons, Bosa has three years in which he played fewer than 10 games with the most recent being 2023. Bosa also has just two seasons where he played every game of the season (2021 was the first year of the 17-game schedule).

Since his last full season in 2019, Bosa has missed 28 games. In his career, he’s missed 41 games… so, the vast majority of his injuries have been in the last five seasons.

But it’s not even just the injuries here that are worrisome. Bosa also has 32 sacks in that five-year stretch. 18 of those came between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

There’s no question that the injuries have affected Bosa’s play on the field and his production, but that’s entirely why he’s such a risk here.

A healthy Joey Bosa is still a good player, but his best days are more than likely behind him. In 14 games last season he had just five sacks. Not great production, and again he was banged up for most of the year.

It’s a huge concern for his next employer, whether he stays with the Chargers or not.

The Cardinals are a desperate team for pass rushing help and if Bosa were to be available then they’d have to strongly consider him. However, there are several players available or potentially available who I’d rather take a chance on.

I’ll finish with this – for the right price I could absolutely get on board with Bosa to Arizona… but there’s a lot, and I mean A LOT, of ways it could blowup in their face.

I think there are far more drawbacks than perks here, but beggars can’t be choosers. If Bosa hits then I’ll eat my words happily, but I am extraordinarily cautious here.