Cardinals to sign cornerback Darqueze Dennard

The Cardinals have signed cornerback Darqueze Dennard, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that it’s a one-year contract.

Dennard spent the early part of his career with the Bengals. The former first-round pick initially agreed to join the Jaguars in late March on a three-year, $13.5M deal. However, that fell through due to complications with his knee injury. He then hooked on with the Falcons, where he appeared in eight games with six starts.

The Cardinals have been on the lookout for cornerback help. Currently, they count Malcolm Butler, Robert Alford, and Byron Murphy among their CB vets, plus newly drafted rookies Marco Wilson and Tay Gowan.

Injuries have slowed Dennard over the years, but when he’s healthy, he’s shown to be a solid slot option. In his last year with the Bengals (2019), Pro Football Focus graded Dennard as its No. 21 overall corner, during which he played 495 snaps. All in all, he’s played in 85 games throughout his career, including 30 starts.