Familiar Face Loves Jaguars' Addition of Dennis Gardeck

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks coach Spencer Whipple has seen new Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck do a little bit of everything.

A member of the Arizona Cardinals' staff for most of Gardeck's time in the desert, Whipple has a unique perspective for his development and what he will bring to the Jaguars.

"Yeah, he's a great person. Does all the right things on and off the field," Whipple said at the end of OTAs earlier this offseason.

"He was one of the early guys I kind of got to know, because I can't remember his first rookie year, but he was a special teams phenom for us in Arizona when I first started with the Cardinals, and that was back in 19. And I just remember watching a guy who was so consistent in his work and his preparation each day, and knowing exactly what we wanted to get done on special teams."

Gardeck quickly climbed the depth chart for the Cardinals over the course of his tenure, eventually becoming a key piece of the Cardinals' defense and pass-rush rotation thanks to his relentless work ethic.

"He was such a leader for those young guys to watch and to follow. You know, he was always out in the front, and the coach would always point him out. 'Here's how we want to get this drill done, Dennis, this is it, you know, this is the guy you need to watch.' And he was, he was that guy back in 2019, my first year there," Whipple said.

Whipple remembers who Gardeck was before he reinvented himself as a player. He remembers the team-first, all gas and no brakes player who turned a special teams role into a key contributor for the Cardinals' defense for years.

And now, he gets to see what he does as a Jaguar.

"Now we are here, and he's carved out a great role for himself in terms of a pass rusher and playing defense as well, on top of all the things he still brings in special teams, so he has such a presence on the field as well that the guys, they love being around playing the game, because he plays up his hair on fire, and he brings a lot of really good, positive juice and energy for the team. So I'm excited that he's here."