Arizona Cardinals prepared for stud cornerback’s suspension
By Jim Koch
Some quality additions at the cornerback position could help the Arizona Cardinals survive Patrick Peterson’s six-game suspension
An announcement was made this past Thursday that was shocking to Arizona Cardinals’ fans. Patrick Peterson, the club’s shutdown corner, will have to serve a six-game suspension for testing positive for PEDs. Without their stud cover guy in the lineup, the Cards’ pass defense will be a disaster, correct?
In years past, that may have been a reality. However, some nifty offseason additions that were made at the cornerback spot could keep the Arizona secondary competitive. And perhaps propel that group to perform at an even higher level than that.
It appears that the Cardinals’ front office may have known about Peterson’s predicament for quite some time. All the way back in early February, general manager Steve Keim pounced on a veteran corner. With the exception of quarterback Kyler Murray, the acquisition may end up being the team’s most important move of 2019.
Robert Alford joined the Cards, two days after being released by the Atlanta Falcons. The 30-year old, who will assume the squad’s number-one cover guy duties, appears to be fully capable of handling the responsibility. Alford has recorded 295 tackles, ten interceptions, and a whopping 85 pass breakups during his six campaigns in the league.
Ignoring more pressing needs, Keim went to the cornerback well once again during the NFL Draft. Arizona nabbed the University of Washington’s Byron Murphy with the 33rd-overall selection, and the franchise’s second-round choice could very well be handed Peterson’s starting role. Murphy racked up 74 tackles, six picks and 20 passes defensed in two seasons as a Huskie, and was reportedly the fifth-ranked player on the Cardinals’ draft board.
While Murphy may be the favorite to be Peterson’s stand-in, there’s another capable individual also vying for the assignment. In fact, a report has already surfaced that Tramaine Brock will get the first shot at the job. The 30-year old, who was signed on April 2nd, has registered 209 tackles,11 interceptions, and 50 pass breakups during his nine years as a pro.
There’s another candidate, currently flying under the radar, who could also throw his hat in the ring. David Amerson, who joined the Cards in 2018, has six professional seasons on his resume. The 27-year old has tallied 273 tackles, nine picks and 65 passes defensed as an NFL participant.
Peterson has never missed a single game during his eight-year career. The initial reaction to losing such a talented and dependable individual is that the sky is falling. But thanks to some excellent offseason work by Arizona’s hierarchy, the organization may survive this unwelcome controversy just fine.