Meet the Arizona Cardinals 'Catalyst of Energy,' Inside Jets' Mega-Deals, More | 4 Downs

Ready or not, the NFL season is here.

Training camp is open, pads are about to get popping, spirals are flying, and position battles for starting jobs and roster spots are just getting underway under the scorching summer sun.

This is our second season covering the NFL at Between The Hashmarks, I’m a decade and a half into my career, and there are big plans for the weeks ahead and the season barreling towards us like a runaway express train.

We’re glad you’re here.

Inside this column, Cardinals safety Joey Blount opens up about the behemoth being built in the desert on defense, and how he hopes to contribute to Jonathan Gannon’s unit and as a special-teams standout, and the Jets officially usher in a new era and way of doing business. Meanwhile, a long-time executive reveals the under-the-radar moves he believes will shape the 2025 season.

First, though, Last week was a strong reminder that deadlines spur actions.

In Kansas City, hours before the July 15 deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players to long-term contracts, the Chiefs inked stalwart guard Trey Smith to a massive four-year deal worth $94 million that includes $70 million in guarantees.

From the moment the Chiefs traded Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears, securing Smith’s future was a top priority for general manager Brett Veach, and now one of the top interior linemen in the sport remains a cornerstone to keeping Patrick Mahomes upright.

Smith, 26, didn’t allow a sack last season and was charged with only five quarterback pressures, so it’s easy to see why the Chiefs were so intent on signing him long-term contract.

Whether first-round rookie Josh Simmons and Jawaan Taylor are enough as bookend tackles to prevent the kind of onslaught Mahomes faced last season, and in Super Bowl LIX, now remains the biggest question facing the Chiefs in 2025.

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, a spring and summer of discontent ends with T.J. Watt becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback, for the second time in his career, after putting pen to paper on an extension that pays him $41 million annually. It’s a great time for the Watt family, it secures a cornerstone player for the Steelers, but few people are likely more thrilled than Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson or Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons. Both All-Pros are about to cash in.

It appears that once again, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys will have waited for the market to set itself, rather than signing Parsons to a lucrative deal that could have saved Dallas millions of dollars by making him wait after paying CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott after the quarterback and receiver markets settled themselves.

Forget hometown discounts, it’s now becoming an open question whether it will be the Cowboys who make Parsons the highest-paid edge rusher, or if they’ll use the franchise tag on him for consecutive seasons before allowing him to cash in elsewhere, which, on its surface feels like repeated mismanagement to the point of not grasping modern NFL economics.

First Down: Joey Blount Gears Up to Lead Arizona’s Resurgence

A sleeping Giant is stirring it the Valley of The Sun.

The Arizona Cardinals, who won eight games last season – including a sweep of the San Francisco 49ers and key victories over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, consistently battled in tight contests, losing four by one score or less, seem primed to take the next step in an NFC West that might well be there for the taking.

Arizona also ranked 12th in DVOA, which measures a team's efficiency by comparing their performance on every play to a league average, considering the specific situation and opponent, suggesting those close losses last season hide plenty of untapped potential this season.

Not so far down the depth chart but rising to the occasion, safety and special teams standout Joey Blount is determined to do his part to help the Cardinals close the gap on their division rivals and break through into the postseason.

Blount, who finished second on the Cardinals with seven special teams tackles in 2024, is hungry for not just a larger role on defense but ready and willing to expand his role as a leader.

“I like to call myself the catalyst of energy,” Blount told me, during a wide-ranging phone conversation as he prepared to report to Cardinals training camp.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

For a team poised on the brink of a breakout, Blount’s individual determination to ignite the locker room and lead by example isn't just a personal goal; it's precisely the spark a sleeping giant like the Cardinals needs to rise to the moment.

Blount is entering his third season in a Cardinals uniform, after originally entering the league as an undrafted free agent signing by the Seattle Seahawks back in 2022, and has emerged as one of Arizona’s standouts on special teams while earning 20 snaps on defense last fall.

The 26-year-old University of Virginia product is steadfastly committed this season to doing what it takes to lift the Cardinals and step further into a leadership role he’s established for himself over the past two years.

“I think everyone needs to be held accountable in some way, shape, or form,” Blount explains. “Whether you’re a 10‑year vet, and we’re in Week 8 and need you to step up body language‑wise and someone needs to say something to you, or if you’re a second, third, or fourth‑round rookie, or first‑round rookie who we need to impact the season, and you need reminded that the nervous jitters of college can go away because this is the same game we’ve played as children, now it’s just on another level. Once you get those nerves shaken off, we’re going to press through.

“I’m the type of guy that whatever the team needs in that [leadership] area, or that time, I’m going to be. I don’t really try to be too much of a ‘rah-rah’ guy. If I can be a vocal leader when needed, I think those that speak in a time of need rather than all the time are the voices that are heard longer and louder. I’ve been in the younger guys’ shoes before, and I just want to share the lessons I’ve learned.”

Blount doesn’t just call others out. He’s the first to lead by example.

“I’m just a team‑guy,” Blount says. “I love my teammates, I love the team, and I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to win games. Whether it’s laying my body on the line, whether it’s blocking an interior line on a field goal block, it doesn’t matter. I’m willing to do whatever it takes for the team.

“I see myself one day in this league playing safety. So, when that time comes, I will not be giving that role back. But, until it is, I’ll do whatever I can, whatever this team asks me to do to be on this team and help this team win.”

That willingness to do “whatever it takes” isn’t empty talk. It’s why Blount is carving out a bigger role in the secondary, and why the Cardinals value him as more than a special‑teams ace.

For a spell last season, it appeared that the Cardinals were going to be that team that filled the NFC West void once injuries decimated the 49ers, with Arizona winning five of six games from Weeks 5-10.

This offseason, general manager Monti Ossenfort got down to work fortifying the defense, prioritizing that side of the ball with the marquee free agent addition of edge rusher Josh Sweat, fresh off a dominant Super Bowl performance, and adding disruptive defensive lineman Walter Nolen and cornerback Will Johnson in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

Through this spring’s OTAs and minicamp, Blount has watched Sweat and Nolen turn up-front talent into results—and elevate the whole defense in the process.

“It helps us out a lot on the back-end of the defense,” Blount explained. “Getting constant pressure, we have a lot of great edge rushers, and interior linemen that are going to cause havoc up front.

“Now that we have those guys up front, the quarterback won’t have as much time, or he’ll be more conscious of the people rushing him, which gives us on the back-end more time to make plays on the ball. Once you get the havoc up front, it opens up blitz packages, it opens up more special drops, forces them into more third and longs and we can get into different sub-packages, so it’s going to really help us open up an entire defense and it’s only going to help us be a better team.”

Arizona finished 21st in total defense in 2024, allowing 22.1 points per game, and posted just 41 sacks last season. So, it isn’t surprising that Ossenfort went to work this offseason adding Sweat, Nolen, Johnson, and signing versatile interior defender Dalvin Tomlinson, aiming to build out a defense in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s image capable of being the backbone of a Cardinals resurgence.

Gannon, who is entering his third season, finally has the tools in his toolbox to run the defense he’s always envisioned.

But, according to Blount, the 42-year-old has tirelessly worked towards building a competitive culture even if the wins haven’t come immediately.

“What stands out the most about Jonathan Gannon,” Blount says. “Is his ability to switch between being the head coach, and during a time of need, say we’re going out on a two-minute drill or four minute drill, to lock back in as a defensive-minded coach. He’s great at reminding certain players to lock back in on key techniques, and assignments, alignments they need for that certain drive.

“If it’s a two-minute drill, make sure they don’t go out of bounds. Make sure you get your head across and force them sideways, or back so the clock will keep running. It’s little things like that where he’s coaching the whole team, but he may pull a cornerback aside; ‘Hey Max, we need you to make sure your bail technique is two-to-one, you’re on top,’ it’s little things like that where he’s taking the minute details of being a defensive coordinator or defensive backs coach in his past, and implementing those in a time of need but not reluctantly forgetting the whole entire team as a whole.”

Gannon also operates with an open-door policy throughout the season, taking time out of his schedule to meet with players to clear up a technique, review a rep from practice, or serve as a sounding board.

For Arizona to take the next step, and Gannon to lead the Cardinals into the realm of contenders in the NFC, players like quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., and emerging star tight end Trey McBride are going to take their own next steps. New pieces on defense are going to need to quickly and seamlessly integrate and dominate.

Players like Blount, steadfast special teams standouts and consumate leaders are going to need to elevate their presence, as well.

Blount says that he’s not only up to the task, but ready to lead the way.

“For me, it’s really just toning the on the field things,” Blount tells me is the biggest key to him taking the next step in 2025. “Breaks, hips, I think that’s everybody in this league, we’re all at this high level now. But, for me, it’s knowing not only one spot, or two spots, but three spots in the secondary; nickel safety, free safety, being able to play dime, being available. Last year, we had two tremendous starting safeties, and we have a great three-headed spear at safety.

“Having that fourth safety, which I’m trying to be and competing for that third safety job, being that guy that the coaches can rely on to know-know it, so if anything happens, being able to plug in and keep the same gameplan going.”

Bount’s commitment to mastering his craft and embracing various challenges stems from a career path that, for him, has been anything but conventional.

“For me, my NFL career has been a tumultuous journey,” Blount explains. “And I’m kind of glad for it because it’s shaped me into the player and man I am today. I know that my career is a marathon, not a sprint.

“So, for me, going into 2025, it’s about polishing the minute details of being an NFL defensive back, whether it’s my 45 breaks out of the post, coming out of a seam-two, my underneath coverages, being able to put my blitz pass, but being able to help the guys on the field, being another quarterback, another coach on the field, I think that would just help propel me into the role I see myself being in this league.”

If Blount nails the details, and this rebuilt front seven delivers, the Valley’s giant won’t just wake up in 2025 … it will roar.

Second Down: Jets Hit Home Run with Course-Correcting Deals

John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Jets haven’t exactly built up a reputation for rewarding their stars.

Leonard Williams was traded away before he had the chance to cash in on a second contract, Jamal Adams received his first payday from the Seattle Seahawks, and players like Sheldon Richardson never quite hit their stride until hitting the road out of Florham Park.

That all changed last week.