Dennis Gardeck

Two of his eight seasons: 2.4 disruptions per game. The other six: 0.9. Same player, different snap counts.

In 2020 (10 reg-season games) and 2024 (6 games before injury), Gardeck averaged 2.4 and 2.17 disruptions per game (sacks + TFLs + QB hits). In his four full-season stretches (2021–2023, 2025), that rate drops to 0.5–1.5 per game.

The pattern suggests a player whose pass-rush burst is elite in limited, fresh doses — when opponents can’t game-plan around him or wear him down. His 2020 and 2024 short stints may actually represent his ceiling better than his full seasons do.

Why it matters. The disruption-rate gap between short stints and full seasons reveals how differently Gardeck plays as a rotational weapon vs. an expanded-role player — directly relevant for evaluating his contract value and usage.

7 sacks in 10 games in 2020 — pass-rush rate that would scale to 12 sacks in a full season.

In 2020, Gardeck played just 10 regular-season games and produced 7.0 sacks, 7 TFL, and 10 QB hits. The pace — 0.7 sacks per game — translates to roughly 12 sacks across a 17-game season, top-15 territory.

In the 2020 league-wide sack rate leaderboard (players with 8+ games and 4+ sacks), Gardeck ranked 11th at 0.70 sacks/game — ahead of Khalil Mack (0.60) and Cameron Jordan (0.47).

Why it matters. A 0.7 sacks-per-game rate puts Gardeck in elite company on a per-opportunity basis — the projection matters because it's the statistical argument that earned him continued roster spots despite never playing a full season until 2023.

2023 was his only 17-game season — and his most productive by total output.

2023 was the highest-output season of his career: all 17 games played, 6 sacks, 12 QB hits, 7 TFL, 4 PDs and a forced fumble. His QB hit rate (0.71/game) was lower than his 2020 short-stint peak (1.00/game in 10 games), but the raw totals surpassed every other season.

2023 was the contract showcase that earned him the Jaguars deal in 2025 — the one season where durability and pass-rush talent overlapped.

Why it matters. 2023 is the single data point that shifted Gardeck's market value — a full season of starter-level disruption stats is what transforms a rotational specialist into a player teams pay for on the open market.

2025 in Jacksonville: career high in tackles, near-career-high in hits — at age 31.

At 31 years old, Gardeck's 30 solo tackles and 9 QB hits in 2025 are both career highs (tackles) or 2nd-highest (hits). The sack count (2.5) is down from his 2020/2023 peaks but the disruption profile (6 TFL, 9 hits) says he's still finishing plays at a starter rate.

For an undrafted D-II prospect, 8 seasons in the NFL with a career year at 31 is roughly as good as the path gets.

Why it matters. A career-high tackle season at 31 — year 8, new team — counters the narrative that Gardeck was declining; it's evidence his transition from specialist to linebacker contributor is complete and still ascending.

Among UDFA edge rushers since 2014 with 6+ NFL seasons, Gardeck ranks 4th in career sacks — the only D-II player in the group.

Of the six undrafted LBs/edge rushers since 2014 who have played 6+ NFL seasons and recorded 15+ career sacks, Gardeck is the only one from a D-II program. The others all came from FBS or FCS schools. His 19.5 career sacks places him 4th in the group — ahead of every undrafted FBS edge rusher except Barrett, Granderson, and Luvu.

Why it matters. The D-II distinction is the actual rarity — it's not just that Gardeck survived as a UDFA, it's that he out-performed nearly every undrafted edge rusher from higher divisions, doing it from a starting point that almost never produces NFL pass rushers.

In 2020, Gardeck's sack rate per game (0.70) ranked 11th in the league — ahead of Mack, Barrett, and Jordan.

Among all defenders in 2020 who played 8+ games and recorded 4+ sacks, Gardeck's 0.70 sacks per game ranked 11th in the NFL — sandwiched between Leonard Williams and Khalil Mack. He was ahead of Shaquil Barrett (0.50), Cameron Jordan (0.47), and every other pass-rusher in the league who saw a full season's worth of snaps.

The context: he was doing this as a rotational edge rusher on an 8-8 Arizona team. His name was nowhere in the national conversation, but his efficiency put him in the same tier as the pass-rush elite.

Why it matters. Per-game efficiency in a limited role can exceed what full-time starters produce — Gardeck's 2020 rate shows that at his peak, he was generating elite pass-rush value even before he became a regular starter.