Justin Bethel - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Notes: Humphries, Bethel, Bryant

July 23rd, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the latest out of Arizona…

Although 2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries is the Cardinals’ presumptive starter at right tackle, there’s no guarantee that the club simply hands him the role, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Humphries didn’t play a single snap during his rookie season, and frustrated Arizona management to the point that head coach Bruce Arians began referring to him as “knee deep” (re: Arians’ knee vs. Humphries’ posterior). Per Urban, the Cardinals could add a veteran free agent during camp to compete with Humphries, and while Eugene Monroe is no longer an option after announcing his retirement, I did point to former Giants tackle Will Beatty as a potential option earlier this summer when analyzing the best available offensive free agents.
Cornerback is also a position with question marks in the desert, as career special-team Justin Bethel is slated to start opposite All Pro Patrick Peterson. But general manager Steve Keim says that Bethel will have to earn playing time, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. “Obviously, Justin is the current starter, but it’s always going to be an open competition,” Keim said. “Knowing Bruce Arians and his staff, we’ll play the best 11 out there, so whoever gives us a chance to succeed. But we have expectations for Justin. He’s got great athleticism and movement skills.” The Cardinals signed veteran corner Mike Jenkins earlier this week, and are also scheduled to meet with former Redskins defensive back Chris Culliver next week.
Red Bryant signed a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract earlier this offseason to remain with Arizona, but Weinfuss writes that the veteran defensive tackle could be on the roster bubble because of the club’s depth up front. As Roster Resource shows, the Cards have many options on the defensive line after acquiring Chandler Jones and drafting Robert Nkemdiche to play alongside Calais Campbell, Rodney Gunter, Frostee Rucker, and others. As such, Bryant, whose main specialty is stopping the run, might not be a lock of the 53-man roster.
Earlier this month, we reviewed the Cardinals’ offseason, looking back at every notable signing, loss, draft pick, and trade by Arizona over the past several months.

NFC Notes: Cardinals, Browner, Coughlin

December 6th, 2015 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Before signing a three-year extension with the Cardinals yesterday, cornerback Justin Bethel was set to hit free agency following the season. The special teams ace could have made more than $9MM guaranteed on the open market, but he told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com that he wanted to stay in Arizona.

“You never know,” Bethel said. “You want to stay with the team that brought you in. You talk with your agents, you talk with your family, you want to do what’s best for you and your career. Not everybody plays the game for a long time. I didn’t want to go and be greedy if they gave me a really good deal, which they did. I’m thankful.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

Brandon Browner‘s brutal first season with the Saints got even worse in today’s loss to the Panthers. The cornerback was called for three penalties, was beat by Devin Funchess for a touchdown, and was a part of the failed coverage that led to another score by Ted Ginn. The veteran was also caught arguing with teammate Jairus Byrd and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. This led to Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe tweeting that Browner should be released, citing the distraction that accompanies the defensive back.
On the flip side, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes (via Twitter) that the Saints are too depleted to let go of Browner, noting that both Delvin Breaux and Damian Swann are currently banged up.
Leading by 10 with less than nine minutes to go, Giants coach Tom Coughlin opted to go for the touchdown instead of a field goal. Eli Manning‘s pass ended up being picked off, setting the way for the Jets’ comeback victory. The New York Post’s Steve Serby believes that play could signal “the beginning of the end” for the long-time Giants coach.

Justin Bethel Signs Extension With Cardinals

December 6th, 2015 at 5:05pm CST by Ben Levine

5:05pm: The deal is official, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

“With the guys we’ve got here, especially in our secondary, Pat (Peterson), Ty (Mathieu), Rashad (Johnson), Jerraud, Deone (Bucannon), Tony (Jefferson), all those guys, I think we have a really, really close group,” Bethel told Urban. “It shows on the field. Being able to get my deal done, and hopefully get some other guys done, is a really big deal to me.

“I’m just thankful I could stay with the team that drafted me.”

SUNDAY, 11:13am: Former NFL agent Joel Corry passes along (via Twitter) a couple of details on the impact of this extension on the Cardinals’ salary cap. As Corry notes, Bethel’s cap numbers will be $3.25MM in 2016, $5.25MM in 2017, and $5.75MM in 2018.

SATURDAY, 9:47am: Cardinals Pro Bowl defensive back Justin Bethel has signed a three-year, $15MM extension, agents Damarius Bilbo and Fletcher Smith told NFL Network’s Rand Getlin (via Twitter). The deal will contain $9MM in guaranteed money and $1.8MM in incentives and escalators (Twitter link). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report that a deal was close.

Bethel, the Cardinals’ sixth-round pick in 2012, was set to become a free agent following this season. The cornerback has yet to miss a game in his career, although he only recently earned his first career start. In 2015, the 25-year-old has compiled 18 tackles, five passes defended, and an interception (which was brought back for a score). While he’s only played 201 snaps on defense this season, his 247 special teams snaps are tops on the team.

The Presbyterian College alumni was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2013, and he made the Pro Bowl in both 2013 and 2014. The team will presumably now switch their focus to fellow defensive backs Jerraud Powers and Rashad Johnson, who are set to hit free agency following the season.

NFC Notes: Newton, Jordan, Cards, Bears

June 3rd, 2015 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on the details we passed along earlier today on Cam Newton‘s and Cameron Jordan‘s new extensions, we have another pair of notes. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com clarifies (via Twitter) that while Newton’s $10MM option bonus isn’t technically guaranteed at the time of the signing, it’s practically guaranteed, since there’s essentially no chance the Panthers will cut the quarterback before picking it up. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Jordan received a significant signing bonus, worth $16MM, from the Saints.

Here are a few more items from across the NFC:

The Cardinals signed defensive lineman Frostee Rucker to a one-year extension earlier this week, and Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com identifies three more defensive players who could be next in line for new deals. Weinfuss’ list includes safety Rashad Johnson, defensive back Justin Bethel, and cornerback Jerraud Powers.
Asked about whether he expects Martellus Bennett to attend the Bears‘ June minicamp, head coach John Fox said he “can’t predict” the tight end’s intentions, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. Bennett, who wants a new contract, has been absent from the team’s OTAs.
Having signed a $40MM deal to remain with the Packers this offseason, wideout Randall Cobb vows the new contract won’t change his approach or create added pressure, per Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com.
According to an incident report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo admitted to kicking his girlfriend’s dog and considered fleeing the country after the animal’s death. The AJC’s Tyler Estep has the details.

Arians: Bethel As Talented As Peterson

February 22nd, 2014 at 9:29am CST by Matt Feminis

Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said the team is “very solid” at cornerback when he spoke with azcardinals.com’s Darren Urban, citing Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson, Jerraud Powers and Tyrann Mathieu, who showed playmaking ability before suffering torn knee ligaments. However, Arians raised eyebrows by identifying third-year man Justin Bethel, who made the Pro Bowl as a special teams player, as a potential breakout candidate.

“I think the guy who really should make the big move is Justin Bethel,” said Arians. “He’s as talented probably as Patrick. He just has to start believing it and play corner the way he plays special teams and we’ll really be set back there.”

A 2012 sixth-round pick out of Presbyterian, Bethel put himself on the NFL radar by earning Big South Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011. He blocked nine kicks during his college career and showed well in the pre-draft process, recording a 39.5-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump.