Dennis Gardeck (born August 9, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia State and Sioux Falls,[1] where he was a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy and was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award. He was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2018.[2] Gardeck attended Crystal Lake South High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
_(cropped).jpg) Gardeck with the Cardinals in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 45 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | August 9, 1994 Lake in the Hills, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 232 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Crystal Lake (IL) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | West Virginia State (2014–2017) Sioux Falls (2017) | ||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
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Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
242 lb (110 kg) |
31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
8+3⁄8 in (0.21 m) |
4.57 s | 1.64 s | 2.63 s | 4.32 s | 7.35 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
31 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
Gardeck signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018.[4] He made the Cardinals roster as an undrafted rookie, playing in all 16 games primarily on special teams.
In Week 14 of the 2019 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gardeck recovered a fumble forced by teammate Darrell Daniels on punter Jordan Berry during a fake punt attempt in the 23–17 loss.[5]
In Week 5 against the New York Jets in 2020, Gardeck recorded his first two career sacks on Joe Flacco during the 30–10 win.[6] In Week 14 against the New York Giants, Gardeck recorded two sacks on Daniel Jones during the 26–7 victory.[7] In Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gardeck recorded two sacks on Jalen Hurts during the 33–26 win.[8] On December 25, 2020, Gardeck was placed on injured reserve.[9] He finished the season second on the team with seven sacks.
The Cardinals placed a restricted free agent tender on Gardeck on March 15, 2021.[10] He signed the one-year contract on April 15.[11] He was placed on injured reserve on September 11, 2021. He was activated on October 2, 2021.
On March 14, 2022, Gardeck signed a three-year contract extension with the Cardinals.[12]
In Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, Gardeck recorded 3 sacks against the Los Angeles Rams in a 41-10 win for the Cardinals. He also recorded 6 tackles and a forced fumble during the game. In Week 3, he recorded 4 tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in a 20-13 loss against the Detroit Lions. In Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Gardeck suffered a torn ACL, ending his season prematurely.[13]
Personal life
editGardeck's brother, Ian, is a former professional baseball player. His other brother, Andrew is a surgeon in training at Houston Methodist Hospital[14]
References
edit- ^ "CL South grad Gardeck to sign with Arizona Cardinals". NWHerald.com. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "NFL: USF LB Dennis Gardeck signs with NFL's Arizona Cardinals". KSFY.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Dennis Gardeck, Sioux Falls, OLB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Urban, Darren (April 30, 2018). "Cardinals Bring In 24 Undrafted Rookies". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Steelers hang on for 23-17 victory over Cardinals". ESPN. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Arizona Cardinals at New York Jets - October 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants - December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Urban, Darren (December 25, 2020). "Cardinals Sign Mike Nugent, Seth DeValve To Active Roster". AZCardinals.com.
- ^ Urban, Darren (March 15, 2021). "Cardinals Extend Tender Offers To Dennis Gardeck, Ezekiel Turner". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Urban, Darren (April 15, 2021). "Dennis Gardeck Signs Tender Offer To Return In 2021". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Urban, Darren (March 14, 2022). "Cardinals Keep An Edge Rusher With Deal For Dennis Gardeck". AZCardinals.com.
- ^ "Cardinals LB Dennis Gardeck tears ACL, to miss rest of 2024". espn.com. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Slusser, Susan (February 17, 2020). "A's Ian Gardeck spurred brother Dennis' NFL career, hopes to revive his own". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 17, 2023.