Duo will compete for snaps in outside linebacker rotation

Zach Gershman

Jordan Burchhad his phone on standby as he watched the draft this past April. On on the second day, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort called Burch to let him know he was Arizona's third-round pick.

Less than 24 hours later, the phone rang again.

Xavier Thomas, Burch's high school teammate and 2024 Cardinals' fifth-round pick, was on the other line.

"It was a dream come true," Thomas said. "It was a surreal thing. It's kind of like a movie-type feeling."

Thomas and Burch both attended Wilson High School in Florence, South Carolina. Burch joined the football team hoping to be a wide receiver. Instead, the coaches put him on the defensive side of the ball and pairing the freshman with Thomas.

"I was brand new to the position and I'm asking him questions and he's trying to help me out," Burch said. "When I finally got it and it clicked when we were both making plays. People were running away from him to my side, so he was helping me out to make plays."

The production put both Burch and Thomas on the map. Thomas was feared in high school.He was one of the highest ranked player in his recruiting classen route to earning Freshman All-American honors during his first season at Clemson. Burch attended South Carolina before transferring to Oregon.

Watching Thomas in high school stood out to Burch because he "set the standard for how you want to be as a player."

"I was like his big brother in high school, and it's kind of the same situation now," Thomas said.

Tempe is a little more than 2,000 miles away from Florence, but Burch is often reminded of home. Once again, the duo shares a position room and their lockers are right next to each other. It's a place where the two often reflect.

"I went through the same thing last year, coming in as a rookie in the same position and the same defense," Thomas said. "I'm teaching him the ropes and telling him to keep the main thing the main thing."

While the storyline is wholesome now, the inevitable narrative to surface will be about the competition between Burch, Thomas, and the other outside linebackers. The Cardinals' biggest offseason move was the acquisition of outside linebacker Josh Sweat. Baron Browning was also re-signed, andBJ Ojulari is slated to return from injury.

Thomas had a quiet rookie season. Mostly used as a pass rusher on third downs, he had 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 14 games played. This year, his role should expand. "I'll be playing the Sam (linebacker) position as well and dropping into coverage and playing on early downs instead of just third down," he said.

Burch hopes to earn snaps as well. It's challenging to gauge his progression without pads, but coach Jonathan Gannon said the Cardinals are experimenting with Burch.

"You see some of the physical traits that we saw on tape and was one of the reasons we drafted him," Gannon said. "He's been excellent with learning fourth down as well."

Competition is one of Gannon's core principles when evaluating players and their passion for the sport. That should fuel the outside linebacker room.

"I know what I'm capable of and everybody in the room knows what they're capable of, but at the end of the day, we're all on the same team," Burch said. "I'm still working but still keeping everybody in there as my family."

The Cardinals have time away from the facility before they embark on State Farm Stadium for training camp. With that in mind, Burch is eager to look across the huddle and see his high school mentor, but on an NFL field this go around.

"It'll be like a moment from the past like I was in high school," Burch said. "I feel like it's going to be a great moment when we're both making plays on the field together. That moment will be special."