Veteran corner eyeing starter’s role with Arizona Cardinals

Veteran Bene Benwikere‘s impressive play has made him a candidate for the Arizona Cardinals’ number-two cornerback position

Bene Benwikere must’ve viewed the Arizona Cardinals as an attractive free agent destination back in March. The fact that the cornerback had played for the club’s new head coach, while both were with the Carolina Panthers, was a plus. Familiarity with Steve Wilks’ defensive system would make transitioning to a new team easier.

Another factor in Benwikere’s decision may have been that the Cards’ starting cornerback for most of 2017, Tramon Williams, had decided to split. The Green Bay Packers had lured the veteran away, leaving Arizona with a vacancy at their number-two cornerback slot. The departure left the 26-year old Benwikere with an opportunity to start for the first time since 2016, back when Wilks was his position coach in Carolina.

A wrench was thrown into those plans in May, when Cardinals’ general manager Steve Keim orchestrated a trade for Jamar Taylor. The 27-year old Taylor had started for two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, making him a legitimate contender for the Cards’ number-two job. A sixth-round draft pick was sent to Cleveland as compensation, and the former “Dawg Pound” member is currently penciled in as a starter on Arizona’s latest depth chart.

Benwikere appears to be on a mission to change that. And his impressive play thus far in the preseason is helping him to achieve that goal.

There was a pass breakup last week versus the Los Angeles Chargers that almost resulted in a pick-six. There was the brutal hit in the same game, causing a fumble that teammate Jeremy Cash returned for a touchdown. Benwikere continued his onslaught against the Chargers not too long after that big play, deflecting a pass into the air that A.J. Howard turned into an interception.

The 6’0″, 195 pounder’s exhibition contest dominance continued this past Friday night. A sensational, over the shoulder pick occurred during Arizona’s 20-15 victory over the the New Orleans Saints. The tightrope act that Benwikere pulled off on the sideline to secure the turnover was a thing of beauty.

There’s been some heated competition for work down at Cardinals’ headquarters this offseason. Wilks has said that the best 22 players will take the field when the regular season gets underway on September 9th. Benwikere is certainly performing well enough to be one of them.