Safety Position Remains an Arizona Cardinals’ Strength
By Jim Koch
Free agency wasn’t kind to the safety room of the Arizona Cardinals, but they’ve done a good job reinforcing the position
The Arizona Cardinals had prepared for the worst. With a free agent list a mile long, and limited salary cap space to work with, players would be leaving. General manager Steve Keim’s job was to keep the club competitive despite the defections.
One area of concern was gonna be the safety position. As much as the Cards wanted to retain Tony Jefferson, it was apparent pretty quickly that it wasn’t going to happen. The Baltimore Ravens saw to that by signing Arizona’s leading tackler to a four-year, $34 million contract.
While Jefferson’s departure wasn’t a surprise, another Cardinals’ safety’s exit kind of was. D.J. Swearinger, a former second-round draft pick of the Houston Texans, had revived his floundering career in the desert. The Washington Redskins took notice and handed the debilitating hitter a three-year, $13.5 million deal.
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With sudden holes in the defensive backfield, it was time for Keim to repair the damage. His first move was to sign a 32-year old veteran from the San Francisco 49ers. Antoine Bethea came aboard after collecting 110 tackles in 2016, more than both Jefferson AND Swearinger.
The front office then turned to April’s NFL Draft for a second reinforcement. The Cards aggressively moved up in the second round to assure themselves of landing Budda Baker, a Washington University standout. Though currently not slated to start, the 5’9″, 195 pounder should see alot of playing time this season.
The injury-prone Tyrann Mathieu will occupy one of the two starting safety spots. The “Honey Badger ” showed how good he can be in 2015, when he tallied 89 tackles, five interceptions, 17 pass deflections, a sack and a touchdown in 14 starts. If Mathieu can stop getting injured (he’s had two torn ACLs as a pro), stardom awaits.
Tyvon Branch’s versatility makes him one of the best backups in the NFL. But, like Mathieu, the 30-year old needs to stay off of the injured reserve list. Branch has proven to be a solid contributor when on the field.
The depth doesn’t end there. Though drafted to play cornerback, second-year player Harlan Miller filled in at safety last year due to injuries. He played well enough that the coaching staff may decide to make the switch permanent.
Though 2017’s seventh-round pick Rudy Ford is listed as a safety, he may get a look at corner during training camp. Undrafted free agent Ironhead Gallon is an intriguing dark horse out of Georgia Southern. He played linebacker in college, but will be transitioning to safety as a pro (a la Pat Tillman).
So despite losing two excellent contributors, Arizona is just fine at safety. Bethea should be a starter alongside Mathieu, with Baker, Branch and possibly Miller on standby. It’s one area of the squad that Keim has done a nice job of keeping afloat.