Arizona Cardinals’ D.J. Swearinger looking to stick
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals are deep at safety but D.J Swearinger may show the coaches he can be an important part of the secondary
Safety is not a position of need for the Arizona Cardinals. As of now the team has six quality players at the position, six who are most likely vying for four or five roster spots.
The hard-hitting D.J Swearinger, a former second-round pick of the Houston Texans, is one of them.
He was signed to the Cards’ practice squad in December of 2015 and worked his way onto the 53-man roster soon after. His playing time increased when Tyrann Mathieu tore his ACL in late December and he took advantage of the Honey Badger’s misfortune, playing well as a fill-in.
Swearinger is a breath of fresh air, a throwback if you will. He brings an intimidation factor to the Arizona secondary and can get into the minds of pass-catchers who dare to roam through the middle of the Cards’ defensive backfield.
He began to earn that reputation as a member of the Texans in the preseason of 2013. In a game against the Miami Dolphins a low hit on tight end Dustin Keller resulted in a torn ACL, MCL and PCL, as well as a dislocated kneecap.
After the game there were players who spoke out against the hit, describing it as “dirty”. Swearinger defended the hit, claiming he went low to avoid a fine from the league, fines that are readily given out for “head-hunting “. For what it’s worth, the play did not result in a fine.
The very next week Swearinger was given an unnecessary roughness penalty after a collision with WR Wes Welker of the Denver Broncos. As a result of the hit Welker suffered a concussion, but again, no fine from the league office. It appeared “dirty” enough that Broncos’ QB ran over and confronted Swearinger, resulting in the first fine of the usual mild-mannered signal-caller’s career.
Incidents such as these make one reminisce about another Cardinals’ safety, Chuck Cecil, who was a member of the team in1993. Cecil also brought that intimidation factor, racking up quite a few fines during his career.
Now, with training camp upon us, Swearinger will be fighting to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Mathieu and newcomer Tyvon Branch will occupy two of the spots while Swearinger, Tony Jefferson, Chris Clemons and rookie Marqui Christian will battle it out for the remaining two or three spots.
Competition is fierce in the 2016 Arizona training camp. Here’s hoping a player who plays football with the intensity and passion that Swearinger does is able to stick around when final cuts are made.