Arizona Cardinals: How can the team replace Robert Alford at CB?
By Matt Murray
How can the Arizona Cardinals replace cornerback Robert Alford?
Robert Alford was signed by the Arizona Cardinals after the 2018 NFL season. In 2018, Alford finished his stay in Atlanta with a season plagued by an ankle injury that led to his worst year as a pro.
Atlanta was ready to move on with Isaiah Oliver and potential players in free agency and the draft which left Alford looking for a new home. The Cardinals jumped on the opportunity to bring in a second corner opposite Patrick Peterson, especially one that had shown flashes in the past but wouldn’t break their bank.
They accomplished exactly that on February 7, 2019, when they signed him to a three-year deal averaging $7.5 million per season and just $13.5 million guaranteed. It didn’t take long for injuries to resurface for Alford when the Cardinals lost their new addition on August 31, 2019, to a broken leg.
After the loss of Alford and Patrick Peterson serving a suspension to start the 2019 season, the Cardinals were left searching for answers at cornerback. The only starter they had remaining to begin the season was rookie Byron Murphy whose intention was to play slot corner.
Fast forward to 2020 and the Arizona Cardinals have an energized and healthy Peterson, Murphy is ready to play his natural position of slot corner, and the organization is hit yet again with the news Alford will be out for 2020.
News surfaced that he had injured his chest or shoulder on Sunday the 16th, but the full diagnosis wasn’t known until Monday the 17th when the world learned Alford had torn a pectoral muscle and was headed for injured reserve again.