Cardinals TE Darren Fells helping to spark the run game

Much attention has been given to Cardinals running back Kerwynn Williams, the recent sparkplug for the run game who languished on the practice squad until two weeks ago.

But not far from Williams is 28-year-old tight end Darren Fells. The two worked out together in Los Angeles in the offseason before signing with the Cardinals for 2014, and they sit just a locker apart in the locker room.

In the past two weeks, the two have moved to the top of the depth chart at their respective positions, Williams taking over for the injured Andre Ellington and Fells surpassing veterans John Carlson and Rob Housler as the team sought more of a run-blocking punch.

So although Williams' 34 carries for 175 yards over the past two games are eye-popping, Fells probably deserves a portion of the credit.

"He's a big body," right tackle Bobby Massie said. "He's a huge body at tight end. He just covers people up."

At 6 feet 7 and 281 pounds, Fells certainly is big, and that's a big reason the Cardinals have leaned on him in the running game the past two weeks. In that span he's played in more than 60 percent of the offensive snaps, more than Carlson and Housler combined.

At that size, it shouldn't be surprising that Fells excels at knocking back defenders. That is, until you learn he's a converted basketball player.

Fells played football in high school — and maintains it was his better sport — but went on to play basketball at the UC-Irvine, where he averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds from 2004-08. Five years after graduating, he signed with the Seahawks as a rookie free agent but was released and landed on Arizona's practice squad.

He made the active roster this year, and while waiting for his chance to play has concentrated on honing his blocking skills.

"(Assistant tight-ends coach) Steve Heiden has told me that I have the opportunity to be one of the better blocking tight ends in the league," Fells said. "I've been taking that in and assuming that role."

Plenty of converted basketball players have gone on to great success in the NFL as tight ends, of course — Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas. But all of them have made their bones as pass-catchers.

In contrast, Fells has caught only one pass in his NFL career, a grab for one yard last week. He hasn't been asked to run routes much and really isn't expecting to. He wants to be something closer to a sixth offensive lineman.

"It's unheard of for a tight end basketball player to be good at blocking," Massie said. "He's probably the first one out of all the basketball converted guys. He's probably the first legitimate blocker."

There might have been clues that Fells would succeed in that manner, though. His older brother, Daniel, has had success with the New York Giants. Darren also never shied away from contact on the basketball court.

He can think of several instances where his coaches watched game tape only to marvel at Fells trying to body up a 7-footer instead of trying to go around him.

"I've had five or six stitches in my face from elbows playing basketball," he said.

Fells will need that love of the fight this week against the Seahawks, the team that cut him in training camp last year. Seattle enters the game with the fifth-ranked rushing defense and can all but steal away Arizona's chance at an NFC West title with a win. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are playing with a running back and quarterback who weren't on the roster two months ago.

"Just having that big frame in there vs. those D-ends is huge, especially when you're playing a 4-3 team like this one," offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said. "When you play 4-3 teams, it's tight ends vs D-ends."