TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - While the team around him has stumbled through five straight losses, Arizona inside linebacker Daryl Washington is emerging in his third season as one of the best defensive players in the NFL.

The former TCU star, who slipped to the second round of the 2010 draft because of concerns he wasn't big enough to play the position, has eight sacks, 72 unassisted tackles, nine tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

And he still has seven games to go.

The Cardinals are looking awfully smart for locking the fleet 26-year-old up with a big contract before this season began.