The Arizona Cardinals hope they get more out of second-year outside linebacker BJ Ojulari than they got his rookie year. He has a teammate who believe they will.

Veteran linebacker Dennis Gardeck, who led the team with six sacks last season, is a big fan.

“I’ve already said BJ but I’m going to say it again,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “I think he’s going to be a really special player.”

Ojulari was drafted in the second round last year out of LSU and his season started slowly. He missed much of the offseason and preseason after knee surgery but did play in every game of the season. It wasn’t until the second half of the season when he started to get significant playing time. He finished the season with four sacks, all in the second half of the season.

Ojulari is a prime candidate to be a breakout player in 2024.

He has the potential to be a double-digit sack type of player. The Cardinals have lacked a special player in the pass rush for a while. It would be huge to have Ojulari become that.