The Cardinal Countdown: 29 Days Until Kickoff

#29 Tabarius Peterson

Class: RS Senior

Ht/Wt: 6-3/260

Position: Defensive Line

Hometown: Tucker, GA

Twitter: @tpduckin

Thoughts: Tabarius was a guy the Cards were looking to last season to create disruption off the edge. Transitioning down to the end from linebacker Peterson always had a knack for getting in the backfield no matter where he lined up, and Coach Brown needed someone to provide pressure up front.

Peterson, surprisingly, didn’t register a sack last season but he did have five QB hurries and a couple tackles for loss (24 tackles on the season). While he played well the defense needs him to become a bigger “disrupter” in the trenches. The defense struggled last year on many levels but I feel a big chunk of their frustration came along the front lines. While I was a GG fan, he was never a pure nose tackle, just the best option they had last year to fill that spot, and with Peterson and Caban only registering one sack combined off the ends the lack of pressure was a big issue, allowing time for opposing QBs to make plays and forcing the secondary to extend coverage much longer than expected.

Peterson started all thirteen games last year, and outside Etheridge, Fitz, and Bell, he has more starts than any other returning player on the team. If you’re looking for a few guys to step up on that side of the ball I think Peterson will be key to leading a more skilled and knowledgeable defense with a couple seasons of the new scheme under their belt. A shortened season will likely skew some of the stats but I’d expect a larger contribution on paper from Peterson and Kinnaird at the ends as Brown becomes more and more comfortable with his aggressive play calling.

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