Arizona Cardinals: What will Alfonzo Dennard bring?

The Arizona Cardinals claimed former New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard off of waivers yesterday, adding some much-needed depth to a secondary that lost Antonio Cromartie to the New York Jets this offseason. Patrick Peterson is obviously locked in as the team’s No. 1 cornerback with a deep group of safeties behind him, but the rest of the Cardinals cornerback spots are uncertain and wide open for the taking for Dennard.

Of concern is the fact that Dennard is a player whose stock has slid despite his young age, as he was thrown into the doghouse last season. Bill Belichick definitely soured on him, and it may have been due to both injuries and a perceived lack of work ethic. Whatever the case, Dennard was never given an opportunity to do much last season, as he appeared in just six games and was eventually placed on the injured reserve with a completely mysterious injury.

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While Dennard was poor when he did see the field in 2014, he was a successful cornerback in his first two seasons in this league, particularly as a rookie. The former seventh-round pick immediately made an impact upon the conclusion of his suspension, shutting down Eric Decker and others in his NFL debut- a win against the Denver Broncos. Thereafter, Dennard established himself as a rising player on a thin secondary, recording three picks and seven passes defended in ten games to show off his ball skills.

A physical player who can play the run and has a high football intelligence, Dennard followed up his strong rookie season with an average second year in the league. That said, he still managed to defend eight passes and continued to look like a future, quality starting No. 2 cornerback in this league. It all went south for him in 2014, but, unless if his nagging injuries have shockingly stopped him from being effective, that ability is still in Dennard despite his unceremonious benching in 2014 and subsequent release in 2015 (from a team with questions at corner, no less).

As it stands right now, veteran Jerraud Powers looks like the starting No. 2 cornerback for the Cardinals, but if last year’s success in the slot was any indication, he’s better off playing on the inside. At 5’10” and with better quickness than long speed, Dennard might also be slightly better in the slot, but he showed as a rookie that he has the ability to be a more than credible option on the outside.

I’m sure Alfonzo Dennard wishes that he could have joined the Cardinals when they still had Todd Bowles as the defensive coordinator, but this team can still get the most out of the Nebraska product’s talent. He isn’t a guy with shutdown corner upside and will have to avoid the nagging injuries that plagued him during his time with the Patriots, but it’s hard to see him being worse than their No. 4 cornerback. Powers was the nickel CB last season, so Dennard could feasibly be as high as the No. 2 corner on the depth chart.

Aug 22, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (37) during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals view their newest waiver claim, because his role on the team will likely depend on whether or not they feel he’s a better fit on the outside.

I expect Powers to win a training camp competition if they both face off against each other, but Dennard has more upside going forward.

That said, he isn’t even a lock to be the No. 3 corner, since the bigger competition will be Dennard vs. Justin Bethel, and I tentatively favor the new corner in this one.

The Arizona Cardinals did well to add a cornerback, especially one who can play in different spots. It’s a smart acquisition for a team that looked thin at the position, and he’s a cheap option who will try to climb his way up from the fourth spot on the team’s depth chart.

Next: David Johnson a big-time talent

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