Arizona Cardinals building an intriguing secondary

With Patrick Peterson out the first six weeks, the Arizona Cardinals secondary still has a chance to make a lot of noise in 2019

The world is not crumbling for the Arizona Cardinals despite the fact they will not have the services of cornerback Patrick Peterson for the first six weeks of 2019.  He was suspended last week for a banned substance.

That said, the Cardinals have been preparing for life without him for a little while.  They signed cornerback Robert Alford.  It was originally thought he was signed to start alongside Peterson.

While that ultimately may be the case when Peterson returns in October, for now it would seem the Cardinals knew something was up and therefore went out and got Alford the moment the Atlanta Falcons released him in February.

He will have Tramaine Brock reportedly as the favorite to land the starting spot opposite Alford.  Behind him is rookie Byron Murphy.  Murphy could end up being a starter as well.

Josh Shaw, David Amerson, and Brandon Williams will be fighting for spots on the final 53-man roster.  Williams, also in his third season, still hasn’t been consistent and may only be saved by his special teams abilities.  He’s another wild card though and if he ends up having a strong camp coudld end up pushing one of those other two out.

Murphy’s former teammate at Washington, Budda Baker, leads the way at safety.  Baker enters his third season with the Cardinals.  D.J. Swearinger, signed by the Cardinals at the end of the 2018 season looks to be a candidate for starting in 2019.

Another rookie joins the safety room.  Deionte Thompson out of Alabama could be a wild card in the Cardinals secondary.  Do not be surprised to see him get a lot of playing time this season.

Rudy Ford also enters his third season out of Auburn.  He provides valuable depth at the safety position but also could compete to start.  The defensive secondary could end up being one of the most fun to watch in the NFL.