Following the release of defensive end Darius Philon, stemming from a Friday arrest due to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Phoenix, rookie Zach Allen is set to start for the Arizona Cardinals, per AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban.
“We’ve had a pretty good room as far as depth is concerned,” defensive tackle Corey Peters said before Philon's release, per Urban. “We definitely have enough guys that can play, guys we feel comfortable putting in. We’ll be praying and hopeful the best works out for Darius. Whether he is with us or not, we’ll be ready to go.”
Allen is an intriguing prospect hailing from Boston College. A third-round pick, many considered him worthy of higher draft status, including Pro Football Focus, who ranked him as their 40th best prospect in the draft.
As an Eagle, Allen contributed for three seasons (with his freshman year playing limited snaps). He finished his college career with 199 combined tackles, 40.5 for a loss, and 16.5 sacks to his name. Coming into the draft, scouts drooled over his technical refinement, versatility, power at the line of scrimmage, and quick first step.
“I always try to prepare like a starter,” Allen said. “Coming from college, where I started my last two years, it’s kind of hard to change habits. You’re in the NFL, so you have to ramp it up a lot, so not a lot has changed.”
In Vance Joseph's 3-4 defense, the 6-foot-4, 281-pound end is a bit of a ‘tweener. But his game, as you can see, is more than ready to translate.
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