BIGGER, STRONGER and MOTIVATED
New Canaan’s Zach Allen eager for his second season with Arizona Cardinals
Getting the start in his first career game and ending his first quarter of the regular season with back to back tackles, New Canaan’s Zach Allen seemed primed for a memorable rookie season in the NFL.
However, just as Allen was getting used to the speed and physicality of life as an NFL defensive end, his rookie season abruptly ended with a neck injury.
Allen was on the field for a total of six snaps in the Arizona Cardinals’ loss to Seattle on Sept. 29 and then missed the final 12 games of the season. Allen is fully recovered and believes that physically, he is in a better position to make an impact in his second NFL season even if the pandemic has kept him off the practice field longer than he would have preferred.
“It definitely was tough from the standpoint that I hadn’t played since I think October so I was itching to get back in the building but I think with everything, you have to try to make the best out of the situation,” Allen said in a video conference call. “For me, it gave me a chance to kind of control what I can control and for a big part of that, it was reshaping my body. I was able to gain about 15 pounds compared to last year, I have definitely gotten a lot faster, stronger, it has all been good weight.”
Allen was taken by the Cardinals with the 65th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft after an impressive college career at Boston College and some good work at the NFL scouting combine. He is hoping to work his way into a starting position in 2020.
“I am definitely confident in my ability,” said Allen, who is currently listed at 6-foot-4, 281 pounds by the Cardinals. “I think last year was just a big learning year, I think I was able to figure out what I needed to improve on and having
all this extra time gave me a chance to (improve). I definitely think I can be a key part of this.
“When you build your goals, you have to start there (being in the starting lineup) so I definitely think that is a big goal for me and I have some bigger goals after that.”
Arizona has added some new faces to the defensive front seven, including No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons, a linebacker out of Clemson. Defensive linemen Trevon Coley and Jordan Phillips, and linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Devon Kennard all signed as free agents. Defensive tackles Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence and linebacker Evan Weaver were also selected in the 2020 draft.
“It is definitely really exciting to have so many great players, it is a lot of fun to play with really good players, it just kind of raises the level of everybody’s play,” Allen said. “The past three weeks, two weeks have been fantastic, everybody is really focused, it has been a lot of good work and a lot of fun.
“We have a lot of guys who can win 1 on 1 battles across the board so I think the big thing for us is trying to get those 1 and 1s and with the guys we have, I think we can win those. I think we have a really special group.”
Former Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is in his second season as Arizona’s defensive coordinator so he has some familiarity with what Allen is capable of.
“Zach Allen is a guy we drafted last year and we are having high hopes,” Joseph said. “He got hurt last year and didn’t finish the season but he has come back stronger and bigger and more focused. My hope for him is he wins a job and he becomes a key member of our defense.”
Allen and Arizona will be tested right away with a week 1 matchup with defending NFC champion San Francisco on Sept. 13.