The Arizona Cardinals are counting on at least one more monster campaign from John Abraham.
With Daryl Washington suspended for at least a year and fellow inside linebacker Karlos Dansby out the door for Cleveland, the Cards have seen the heart of their defense carved out during a tumultuous offseason in the desert.
The good news? Coach Bruce Arians believes 36-year-old Abraham -- coming off an 11.5 sack season -- is set to reprise his role as the team's leading quarterback killer.
"He did it last year and there's no reason to think he's going to slow down," Arians said Monday, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He's one of those freaks of nature. He just keeps getting it done. We are looking forward to another big year out of him."
There's logic behind Arians' thinking: Abraham wasn't used as an every-down player out of the gate, with all of his 11.5 sacks and 23 of his 31 tackles coming over the final 10 games.
Now armed with a full grasp on his responsibilities at outside linebacker, Abraham in May suggested he'd be good for a whopping 20 takedowns in Year 2 with the Cards. With Washington and Dansby out of the picture, Arizona needs Abraham's prophecy to materialize come September.
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