Tag: Robert Alford

23 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Sean Murphy-Bunting wears No. 23 now. Robert Alford, when he was healthy, was a pretty good No. 23.

The Arizona Cardinals are one day away from their second preseason game of the year and a little more than three weeks away from games that count. In 23 days, they will take the field at Highmark Stadium on September 8 to take on the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 1.

No. 23 on the roster is currently veteran cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, a player they are counting on to bring steady play to the cornerback room.

He has not yet played a game for the Cardinals, as he was signed a to a three-year free agent contract this offseason. He obviously has not yet made an impact.

The last No. 23 to be impactful was a guy who should have made more of an impact but injuries robbed him of two seasons. That was cornerback Robert Alford. He was signed in 2019 to be the team’s No. 2 cornerback. He broke his leg in training camp. In 2020, he tore a pectoral muscle in camp and missed that season. Both times, he looked like perhaps the best defensive back on the team.

In 2021, he returned on a reduced contract and played 13 games of good football. He was the Cardinals’ most consistent cover guy but he got hurt late in the year again.

The countdown continues tomorrow.

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23 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Check out who has worn No. 23 for the Cardinals over the years.

The Arizona Cardinals have their final walkthrough of training camp at State Farm Stadium Friday as they get ready to play the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night for their second preseason contest.

But while we are two days from that game, we are only 23 days away from the start of the 2022 regular season. In 23 days the Cardinals will take the field at State Farm Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nobody on the roster currently wears No. 23, but if the team brings back cornerback Robert Alford, it would be the number he would wear.

Check out some of the players who have worn No. 23 for the Cardinals over the years below.

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Cardinals in desperate need of help at two key defensive positions

While there is plenty of things to be optimistic about, the Cardinals have two huge question marks on defense

Following a sold-out Red & White Practice that approximately 18,000 fans attended, the Arizona Cardinals have a deficiency at two key defensive positions.

While there is plenty to be excited about, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, two of the team’s biggest positional question marks from the beginning of the offseason have been left unanswered. Those, of course, are the edge rusher and cornerback spots. With the home opener against the Chiefs just over a month away, time is running short.

The Cardinals opted not to make a big-ticket free agent or trade acquisition following the loss of Pro Bowl pass rusher Chandler Jones to the Raiders. Instead, they opted to draft two third-round rookies at the position in Myjai Sanders and Cameron Thomas.

While the two have made promising strides and figure to have bright futures, the Cardinals would benefit greatly from having a veteran presence similar to that of Jones, particularly in the tough NFC West.

Veterans Markus Golden has a toe injury and Devon Kennard left Saturday’s practice early. It is a reminder of how thin the position is for the Cardinals.

Similarly, the team has yet to address the outside cornerback position. With last year’s CB1 Byron Murphy set to play in the slot this year, the outside position is questionable.

Cornerback Marco Wilson is a player the team desperately needs to take another step forward. He would be a returning starter from last year but the Cardinals don’t have much else at the position. They recently added former Packers cornerback Josh Jackson, who has flashed, but haven’t done anything else.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has even stated that the team likes and will be in the market for a free agent cornerback. It doesn’t get much more obvious of a need than when it is publicly called for by the head coach.

There are ways to fill these position gaps before the regular season beyond a plug-and-play band-aid. The likes of Chicago’s Pro Bowler Robert Quinn could be available for trade. Veteran corners like Joe Haden and Robert Alford would be immediate starters for this team.

The Cardinals have made a commitment to winning following the lucrative extension for Kyler Murray. Adding veterans at the edge rusher and cornerback positions would do wonders for a team that figures to have an electric offense.

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7 players that could make sense for Cardinals to sign before training camp

The Cardinals could use help at cornerback, center, nose tackle and outside linebacker. These veterans would make sense for the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals will open training camp in about three weeks and could make some roster moves before then. General manager Steve Keim is well known for his late veteran additions.

Here are a few moves the Cardinals could make in veteran free agent additions that would make a lot of sense.

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Cardinals and CB Robert Alford in contact regarding potential return

Robert Alford was arguably the team’s best man-to-man corner last season. He and the team are talking through a reunion.

Last season, cornerback Robert Alford returned to the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal after a frustrating sequence of injuries. The former Atlanta Falcon initially signed with the Cardinals in 2019 on a multi-year deal, but never took a regular season snap with the team until last season.

In 2021, Alford was playing excellent football for the Cardinals after vowing to prove the team right for signing him two years ago. Unfortunately, Alford suffered a season-ending injury late in the year, a loss that heavily contributed to their struggles in the secondary.

Alford visited with the team back in March, but did not sign a deal. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked about the possibility of bringing back Alford for his fourth season in the desert after Monday’s practice during OTAs.

“We’ve been in contact with Rob,” he told reporters. “We’ll see how that plays out.”

Kingsbury also added that following the tragic loss of Jeff Gladney, the team is looking to bring in multiple veteran cornerbacks before training camp.

“We’re always trying to improve our roster and thats a position where we’d like to bring in a few more veteran players, if we could, before training camp,” he said.

Bringing back Alford makes a ton of sense. He played well last year and the team has question marks at the position. He knows the system and could quickly be brought back up to full speed.

Based on Kingsbury’s comments, it sounds like a potential signing of Alford doesn’t prevent them from adding more at the cornerback room. Behind ascending young players Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson, the Cardinals have little by way of depth at the position.

Among the top remaining free agent cornerbacks are Joe Haden, Janoris Jenkins and Trae Waynes.

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3 players who still could re-sign with Cardinals

Here are three free agents the Cardinals could bring back from last season.

With training camp set to start next month, the Arizona Cardinals will continue to monitor ways to improve the roster before September’s home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

General manager Steve Keim has made many late-offseason additions that ended up being major contributors to the team. Some of those have been bringing back some of their own free agents.

Who could the Cardinals still bring back from last season that would make sense at this point?

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Options for the Cardinals at cornerback after tragic death

The Cardinals have a need at cornerback again. Here are some options to fill that void.

The Arizona Cardinals signed former first-round pick Jeff Gladney to play a prominent role at cornerback in 2022. His tragic death in a car accident in Texas leaves a void they will need to fill before the season.

As of now, the starting cornerbacks will be Byron Murphy, Marco Wilson and Antonio Hamilton.

They are likely to address the cornerback position with available free agents.

Who are possible fits?

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Robert Alford visited Cardinals, potentially signaling re-signing

Alford was the Cardinals’ best cornerback in 2021 during the 13 games he played before his season ended with a pectoral injury.

The Arizona Cardinals could be re-signing another one of their own free agents soon. The NFL transaction report indicated on Thursday that cornerback Robert Alford visited the team.

Such visits often lead to signings.

Alford has spent the last three seasons with the Cardinals. He missed 2019-2020 with injuries suffered in training camp.

He was released last offseason and re-signed thereafter to a league-minimum deal. He played 13 games last season and logged 37 tackles four pass breakups and an interception.

He was the team’s most consistent cornerback. His season ended when he suffered a pectoral injury that should now be fully healthy.

The Cardinals could use a veteran cornerback with starting experience. They have Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson returning and added Jeff Gladney in free agency. Those three project as the starters. Alford would give them a solid four players at corner, all of whom would be able to be counted on as starters.

Now 33 years old, if he signs, it likely will be a one-year deal at or near the league minimum.

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Injury updates on DeAndre Hopkins, Robert Alford, Justin Murray

All three should be fully healthy in the next two months.

The Arizona Cardinals saw their season come to an end on Monday and head coach Kliff Kingsbury addressed the media for the last time before their offseason work begins. He was asked about the injury status of a few players who finished the season on injured reserve.

Here is what he revealed.

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Injury updates for DL Jordan Phillips, WR Rondale Moore, CB Robert Alford

Kliff Kingsbury said that Moore and Phillips were going to have MRIs to determine the severity of their injuries.

The Arizona Cardinals had a couple of players suffer injuries in their 30-12 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. They placed a pair of players on injured reserve over the weekend.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury gave minor updates to the media on Monday, specifically about cornerback Robert Alford, who went on IR with a pectoral injury on Saturday, and defensive lineman Jordan Phillips and receiver Rondale Moore. They exited Sunday’s with injuries.

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