Dre Kirkpatrick could be insurance policy for the Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals could add the cornerback as insurance with Malcolm Butler now sitting on the NFL’s Reserve/Retired list.

The Arizona Cardinals organization and its fan base were informed of some potentially devastating news this past Monday. On Tuesday, the fears of the team and its followers were confirmed.

Malcolm Butler, the front office’s hand-picked replacement for eight-time Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson, has been placed on the NFL’s reserve/retired list. The Cards’ No. 1 cover guy is likely to miss the entire upcoming campaign due to an undisclosed personal situation.

Losing Butler is a severe blow to the Arizona defensive unit. It may force Steve Keim, the team’s general manager, to quickly find an individual who can add some depth for the Cardinals’ now-shaky cornerback position.

Former Arizona Cardinals starter could help remedy a potentially dire situation

Last fall, longtime Cincinnati Bengals corner Dre Kirkpatrick appeared in 14 games and made 11 starts for the Cards’ defense. At the time of this writing, the 31-year-old is still looking for work. Would it make sense for the Redbirds to make an offer to Kirkpatrick, a free agent who is obviously familiar with coordinator Vance Joseph’s defensive schemes?

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kirkpatrick actually held up fairly well for Arizona in 2020. The Alabama native totaled 56 tackles (53 solo), three interceptions, and seven pass breakups for Joseph’s secondary last year.

At the moment, Byron Murphy and Robert Alford are the Cardinals’ top two cornerbacks. The defensive backfield was dealt another blow on Tuesday when it was announced that free-agent pickup Darqueze Dennard was placed on injured reserve and will be lost for the season. The remaining depth at corner for the Cards at the current time includes inexperienced defenders like Marco Wilson, Tay Gowan, and Luq Barcoo.

Kirkpatrick entered the NFL back in 2012 as a first-round pick of the Bengals. He was selected 17th-overall after a three-year stint at the University of Alabama.

Arizona was counting on Butler to be a major part of their secondary in 2021. With that no longer a possibility, Cardinals management would be smart to add an insurance policy like Kirkpatrick to the mix.

(Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference)