Cardinals sign supersized ex-Bears DT

The Arizona Cardinals have decisions to make after releasing Kyler Murray, and they’re still signing free agents. Included in the mix, they signed a supersized ex-Bears defensive tackle, according to a post on X by Ari Meirov.

“The #Cardinals have signed former #Bears DT Andrew Billings. Billings has started 39 games over the last three years for Chicago.”

The Bengals welcomed Billings into the NFL, picking him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 340-pounder has been a consistent starter in the league, drawing 90 such assignments over his eight seasons. He opted out of games in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Cardinals hoping for big things from Andrew Billings

Despite his 14 starts last year, Billings didn’t measure well against his peers, according to Pro Football Focus. He had an overall grade of 38.7, which ranked him No. 131 out of 134 players. It’s hard to get much worse than that.

Billings, who got a reported one-year deal, became the third free agent the Cardinals have added to their defensive line. They also signed Roy Lopez to a two-year contract and Jonah Williams to a one-year deal.

The Cardinals ranked No. 27 in the NFL in yards allowed in 2025. They gave up 357.7 per game. They were No. 24 against the pass and No. 25 against the run.

It appears the signing is a move to add a veteran to a group that underperformed in 2025. However, it’s hard to imagine that Billings will be any better than the team put on the field last season.

Injuries hurt the Cardinals, and that’s one reason new head coach Mike LaFleur decided to retain defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. LaFleur has an offensive slant to his coaching, so he will have to lean on Rallis to get the Cardinals playing well on defense. It could be a tough year in the desert, but there’s plenty of time to prove the naysayers wrong.