Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck (47) warms up during pregame against the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images Travis Register-Imagn Images

Former Cardinals Fan Favorite Still Haunting NFC West Rivals

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 5:42 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals are enjoying Sunday Week 4 NFL action from home after playing on Thursday Night Football.

In the afternoon slate, a familiar face made a play for his new organization.

Linebacker Dennis Gardeck, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is still making plays against the San Francisco 49ers - albeit in a different uniform.

Gardeck forced a fumble on the first play of the second quarter, giving Jacksonville possession and ultimately leading to a score for the Jaguars.

Dennis Gardeck delivers ‼️ Dewey scoops it up.#JAXvsSF on FOXpic.twitter.com/zzAbwOuLFf
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 28, 2025

Gardeck has started two of Jacksonville's previous three games with six tackles and one pass defensed in that time. He's also been a big part of special teams - playing 72% of snaps on that side of the ball.

The Cardinals let Gardeck walk in free agency this past offseason and chose to upgrade their room with Josh Sweat and re-signing Baron Browning. Gardeck suffered a torn ACL in Week 7.

He was previously a team captain with the Cardinals and was held in very high regard by the coaching staff, locker room and fans here in the desert.

That seems to be the case in Jacksonville, too.

"People have used him, Arizona used him in the rush, but also dropping out, catching interceptions, tips. The way that Dennis plays is something I've always really respected. I've kind of said that a few times and he's the right type of pro," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this week (h/t Jaguars On SI).

"The way he takes care of his body, the way that he does things has put himself in a position to earn more reps and to help contribute for our team to go win."

Gardeck has been productive in spurts throughout his career, previously owning seasons with six and seven sacks.

Gardeck just ate a block & tackled Christian McCaffery with one arm. dawg.
— Jason Hamby (@Jason_Hamby14) September 28, 2025

Gardeck - who has seen an uptick in usage as the season's progressed - has enjoyed his short tenure with the Jaguars thus far.

“It was exciting,” Gardeck said last week (h/t Jacksonville.com). “Our defense is obviously amazing so it was fun to be a part of it and it was fun to contribute. The standard for us so high that, stepping out there, I wanted my teammates to be able to trust me and I wanted to play at a high level and execute.”

Even if he's rocking a new set of threads, it's still incredibly easy to root for Gardeck.