The Arizona Cardinals are making a late offseason addition to the secondary, as the team announced that it is signing free-agent cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick to a one-year deal. Kirkpatrick has spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
Kirkpatrick will be reunited with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was the Bengals' defensive backs coach from 2014-15. Kirkpatrick worked well with Joseph, and credits him with how he developed into a legitimate starter. CBS Sports NFL writer Cody Benjamin had Kirkpatrick as one of the top 10 best free agents still available, and while he finished two straight seasons on injured reserve, he certainly adds some experience on the outside. Kirkpatrick is just two years removed from a solid year in which he allowed just a 44 percent completion percentage on targets.
The Cardinals recently lost cornerback Robert Alford, who was placed on injured reserve a couple of days ago with a torn pectoral. He signed a multi-year deal with the Cardinals earlier this offseason, but Kirkpatrick could end up filling that hole nicely. In 99 career games, he has recorded 302 combined tackles, 65 passes defensed and 10 interceptions.
The Cardinals had the second-worst pass defense in the league last year, as they allowed an average of 281.9 passing yards per game. Still, this unit appears to have potential on paper, with Patrick peterson, Jalen Thompson, Budda Baker, Byron Murphy and maybe even rookie Isaiah Simmons getting some time in pass coverage.
