Report: Cardinals sign veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney to 1-year deal
After two years in San Diego, Dwight Freeney is headed to Arizona.
By
John Breech
•
1 min read
After spending the first five weeks of the season as an NFL free agent, Dwight Freeney finally has a team to play for. The Cardinals and Freeney have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com.
Freeney has been out of football since March, when he was cut by the Chargers after spending two seasons in San Diego.
At 35, the Cardinals obviously won't be expecting Freeney to be an every down player. Arizona will likely use Freeney the same way San Diego did, which was mostly in passing situations. Freeney tallied 3.5 sacks for the Chargers last season.
Freeney's 111.5 career sacks ranks 21st on the NFL's all-time list.
The Cardinals will be the third team that Freeney has played for in his 14-year career. The 11th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Freeney started his career in Indianapolis and stayed there for 11 seasons before moving on to San Diego in 2013.
In Arizona, Freeney will see at least a familiar face from his Colts days. Cardinals defensive coordinator Jason Bettcher was with Freeney in Indy in 2012 when Bettcher was an assistant coach with the Colts.
Freeney could see action right away in Arizona thanks to an injury that linebacker Alex Okafor suffered on Sunday. Okafor is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks after straining his calf, according to NFL.com.
