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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Cardinals Cut CB B.W. Webb

August 27th, 2020 at 4:57pm CST by Ben Levine

B.W. Webb‘s stint with the Cardinals lasted all of (*checks calendar*) six days. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that Arizona has cut the veteran cornerback.

The Cardinals signed the 30-year-old to a one-year deal last Friday, and it was believed he’d fill in for the injured Robert Alford (who suffered a season-ending pec injury). However, the team has since added some depth to their secondary, as they signed both Ken Crawley and Dre Kirkpatrick. With the cornerbacks room getting increasingly crowded, the Cardinals apparently saw no use for Webb.

It was only last offseason that Webb was able to snag a two-year, $10.5MM deal from the Bengals, but he only lasted a single season in Cincinnati. He ultimately started 12 of his 15 games in 2019, compiling 37 tackles, one interception, and seven passes defended. He was released by Cincy back in March.

However, he had a stronger season in 2018 as a member of the Giants. As our own Zach Links pointed out last week, Webb ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No.77 cornerback, putting him on the same tier as the likes of Morris Claiborne, Marcus Peters, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jimmy Smith. Thanks in part to those metrics, it wouldn’t be shocking if Webb catches on with another squad before the season begins.

Cardinals, Budda Baker Agree To Record-Breaking Extension 

August 25th, 2020 at 10:19am CST by Zachary Links

Budda Baker is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. On Tuesday, the Cardinals agreed to a four-year, $59MM extension with their young standout defender (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 

[RELATED: Cardinals To Sign Dre Kirkpatrick]

Baker’s deal includes a whopping $33.1MM guaranteed and comes out to an annual average of $14.75MM. Before the re-up, Baker was set to earn just $1.396MM in base pay in the walk year of his rookie deal. With that, Baker tops the previous watermark set by Bears safety Eddie Jackson, who signed a four-year, $58.4MM extension with the Bears earlier this year.

The 24-year-old has impressed across three pro seasons, though he has never intercepted a pass as a pro. He has, however, notched 323 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 14 passes defensed in total. Last year, he registered 104 solo stops to lead the league. Baker appeared as a slot corner earlier in his career, but he’s clearly found a home as a safety.

With Baker, edge rusher Chandler Jones, cornerback Patrick Peterson, and versatile rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons, the Cardinals boast one of the league’s most intriguing defenses. They’ll look to put it all together in 2020 and improve on their 5-10-1 mark from last year.

Baker’s deal has surely captured the attention of new Seahawks safety Jamal Adams. Adams has spent years lobbying for a market-setting contract and he’ll surely leapfrog Baker in 2021. For now, Adams has agreed to table the talks.

NFL Workout Updates: 8/24/20

August 24th, 2020 at 4:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s notable workouts:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/20

August 24th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Waived: CB Duke Thomas

Buffalo Bills

  • Placed on reserve/retired list: CB Ike Brown

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Cardinals To Sign Dre Kirkpatrick

August 23rd, 2020 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals are planning to sign Dre Kirkpatrick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The free agent cornerback is currently meeting with team brass and the one-year deal should be finalized once he passes his physical.

Kirkpatrick will reunite with his former positional coach, Vance Joseph. Joseph, now the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, helped guide Kirkpatrick through some of his formative years with the Bengals.

Robert Alford‘s latest injury has left the Cardinals thin at cornerback once again. As it stands, they have 2019 second-rounder Byron Murphy as their top counterpart for star Patrick Peterson. Their recent additions of B.W. Webb and former Saints starter Ken Crawley may help, but Kirkpatrick would bring experience and a first-round pedigree to the group.

Kirkpatrick has also been connected to the Vikings and Raiders this offseason, thanks to connections with former coaches Mike Zimmer and Paul Guenther. Nothing materialized on either front, however, leaving Kirkpatrick to wait.

Kirkpatrick played just six games last season before he was sidelined by a knee injury. In the offseason, the Bengals dropped him to save $8.3MM against the cap. Now 30, Kirkpatrick comes to Arizona with 67 starts under his belt and the potential to help salvage Joseph’s pass coverage corps.

Cardinals Hosting Dre Kirkpatrick On Visit

August 21st, 2020 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals have already signed a former Bengals cornerback, agreeing to terms with B.W. Webb. They are now going back to Vance Joseph‘s days in Cincinnati to explore another addition to their secondary.

Longtime Bengals corner Dre Kirkpatrick is visiting the Cardinals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Bengals drafted Kirkpatrick in the first round in 2012, and his eight-year Ohio stay overlapped with Joseph’s two-year stint (2014-15) as Bengals secondary coach.

Arizona again lost Robert Alford for the season, again leaving the team shorthanded opposite Patrick Peterson. Although the Cards feature 2019 second-rounder Byron Murphy, they have added Webb and ex-Saints starter Ken Crawley this week. Kirkpatrick would continue the veteran-heavy approach the team is now taking at this position.

Interestingly, Kirkpatrick’s free agency rumors have centered around his former coaches. Both the Vikings and Raiders, whose defenses are respectively run by ex-Bengals DCs Mike Zimmer and Paul Guenther, showed interest earlier this year. But each team moved in another direction. Kirkpatrick moved into a full-time starting role under Joseph in 2015, helping the Bengals to their best season in decades.

A knee injury ended up ending Kirkpatrick’s Bengals run. He played just six games last season and became a cap casualty this year. But the former Alabama standout, now 30, brings 67 starts’ worth of experience.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/20

August 21st, 2020 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Placed on IR: TE Darion Clark

Indianapolis Colts

  • Claimed (from Panthers): TE Andrew Vollert

New York Jets

  • Signed: S Anthony Cioffi

Pittsburgh Steelers

Cardinals Sign B.W. Webb

August 21st, 2020 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have agreed to sign B.W. Webb, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Webb will join the Cards on a one-year deal, giving the club another cornerback to consider as the season draws near. 

Webb hooked on with the Bengals last year on a two-year, $10.5MM deal, but he only fetched $2.5MM in guaranteed dollars. In his lone Bengals season, Webb appeared in 15 games and started in 12 of those contests. In March, they cut him to save $3.5MM against the cap.

Webb, 30, had a stronger 2018 when he was with the Giants. In that season, he graded out as the No. 77 ranked corner in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. By those advanced metrics, he performed roughly as well as Morris Claiborne, Marcus Peters, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jimmy Smith.

Now with the Cardinals, Webb will look to find a roster spot behind starters Patrick Peterson and Byron Murphy.

Cardinals Plan To Sign CB Ken Crawley

August 19th, 2020 at 5:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Robert Alford‘s second consecutive season-ending injury will move the Cardinals to add a replacement. They are expected to sign Ken Crawley, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Raiders released Crawley on Tuesday, but the torn pectoral muscle Alford suffered will open the door for the ex-Saint starter. While Crawley did not see as much time in 2019, when he played with the Saints and Dolphins, the veteran cornerback started 23 games with New Orleans from 2016-18.

Crawley, 27, was a full-time starter on the 2017 Saints squad that returned to the playoffs. He registered 54 tackles and 17 passes defensed that season. While the Saints tendered Crawley as an RFA in 2019, they waived him during the season. The Dolphins claimed him and used him as a starter in two games.

Arizona may again have a void opposite Patrick Peterson, which has been the case for most of the Pro Bowl corner’s career. The Cards drafted Byron Murphy in Round 2 last year, but he is coming off a shaky rookie season. They are thin beyond those two. More experienced than all Cardinal corners save for Peterson, Crawley stands to enter the mix for a roster spot with Arizona.

Injury Notes: Alford, Hargrave, Jets, Tretter

August 17th, 2020 at 6:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Cardinals cornerback Robert Alford did indeed suffer a torn pectoral yesterday, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the injury will sideline the veteran for the 2020 season.

This is a tough outcome for both Alford and the organization. Arizona inked the defensive back to a three-year, $22.5MM deal in 2019, but Alford missed his first season with the organization after suffering a leg injury. There was optimism out of the Cardinals’ camp that Alford would return to full strength in 2020, but this injury has obviously put a snag in his comeback attempt.

Alford spent the first six seasons of his career with the Falcons, collecting 303 tackles and 10 interceptions in 88 games (76 appearance). The veteran also appeared in five playoff games for Atlanta, and he had had a pick-six on Tom Brady during the Falcons’ Super Bowl loss to the Patriots.

Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance during his last healthy campaign in 2018, so this could realistically be the end for the 31-year-old.

Let’s check out some more injury updates from around the NFL…

  • The Eagles got some good news today, as they learned that defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered only a “minor pectoral strain” (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). The injury is expected to sideline the veteran for only a few weeks. The 27-year-old inked a three-year, $39MM deal with Philly this past offseason after compiling 60 tackles and four sacks with the Steelers in 2019. When he’s back to full health, he’ll join Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson to form one of the top defensive tackle groupings in the NFL
  • Jets wideout Vyncint Smith will miss the next five to eight weeks as he recovers from a core-muscle injury, tweets ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The 24-year-old got into 13 games (four starts) for New York last season, hauling in 17 receptions for 225 yards. As Cimini notes, the organization could be scrambling for receiver depth, as Josh Doctson has opted out of the upcoming season and rookie Denzel Mims is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
  • Browns center J.C. Tretter underwent a minor knee procedure and will miss the next few weeks, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). The veteran opted for the procedure to clean up loose bodies and remedy discomfort. The NFLPA President has spent the past three seasons with Cleveland, starting each of the team’s 48 games.
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