Upgrading secondary apparently on Arizona Cardinals’ agenda
By Jim Koch
Free agent safety Tre Boston would certainly be an outstanding addition to the defensive backfield of the Arizona Cardinals
It was just a year ago that the Arizona Cardinals were stacked at the safety position. Their impressive depth chart included the likes of Tyrann Mathieu, Antoine Bethea, Tyvon Branch and Budda Baker. Things have failed to remain the same, however.
The release of Mathieu, and the fact that the free agent Branch appears to be unwanted by the team, has the Cards searching for help. Bethea and Baker remain, but the organization’s other safeties are unproven commodities. An upgrade would certainly be warranted.
Enter the still unsigned Tre Boston, who’s coming off of an impressive 2017 performance with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 6’1″, 205 pounder tallied 79 tackles, five interceptions and eight passes defensed during his only season with the club. Boston travelled to the desert on Wednesday to meet with the Arizona brass, but there’s been no report on how the visit went.
Landing the former 2014 fourth-round draft pick would be a quality feather in the cap of Cardinals’ general manager Steve Keim. The University of North Carolina product could possibly even vie for Baker’s starting job, allowing the second-year player to inherit the “Honey Badger’s” slot cornerback post. It’s a bit of a mystery, however, why a player of Boston’s caliber would still be available in June.
Besides the solid stint last year as a Charger, Boston also performed admirably for Carolina in ’16. He registered 53 tackles, two picks and seven pass-breakups in 15 appearances (10 starts) that season. Current Cards’ head coach Steve Wilks served as Boston’s position coach during the 25-year old’s three campaigns (2014-16) with the Panthers.
Next: Arizona Cardinals players providing goodwill
Whether Keim can work out a deal with Boston remains to be seen. But if a contract agreement can be reached, Arizona would be acquiring a playmaker who’s still in the prime of his career. The Cardinals’ front office has been on somewhat of a roll, here’s hoping that they can continue the momentum by signing Boston.