The Arizona Cardinals may have suffered a brutal blow to their defense on Monday. Mike Garafolo is reporting the Cardinals believe Darnell Dockett suffered a torn ACL today. Adam Schefter followed that up by saying it is believed to be a torn ACL and a torn MCL. Dockett was scheduled to undergo an MRI, but it sounds like the team is expecting the worst. Fooch's Update: Cardinals VP of Media Relations Mark Dalton tweeted the MRI revealed a torn ACL.
This is a huge blow for a Cardinals defense that lost linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency, and then lost linebacker Daryl Washington to a season-long suspension. Replacement linebacker Kevin Minter is resting a pectoral injury, and it sounds like his status is a bit of a question mark. The good news for Arizona is that per Adam Schefter, they are expecting Tyrann Mathieu to be activated off the PUP list on Tuesday. The Cardinals are apparently optimistic he can be in the lineup Week 1.
The Cardinals defense did some great work last season, but they now find themselves with all sorts of question marks. The loss of Dockett is not as big as it would have been a couple years ago, but it is still a big blow. The Cardinals can still be plenty competitive, but they need a strong defense to back up an offense that could prove inconsistent. Their offense could be dangerous, as Andre Ellington is quite the explosive player, and Carson Palmer is a bit underrated in my mind. However, consistency will be something to watch. And if they do struggle at times, this defense taking a step back will be problematic.
And on a personal note, Darnell Dockett always been one of my favorite non-49ers. He's all over the place on Twitter, and he has helped build a fun rivalry between the 49ers and Cardinals. It does not have the intensity of 49ers-Seahawks, but Dockett has no problem talking trash and mixing it up a bit. Best of luck to Dockett in his recovery.