Big Red
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
- 1,355
- 0
D.J. Swearinger was supposed to be a key component of the Cardinals' secondary this season. Instead, he didn't make it into October.
The Cardinals cut the veteran safety Monday, four games into the season. Swearinger had not played well, but insisted last week he'd get better.
"I’ll get back to the style of play of dominating and making plays on the ball like I once did," Swearinger said Friday.
According to Pro Football Focus, Swearinger's biggest issue was in coverage. PFF said Swearinger allowed a passer rating of 145.3 when he was targeted. (A perfect passer rating is 158.3.)
Coach Kliff Kingsbury said repeatedly "we're going to make decisions that are in the best interests of the organization" when asked about the move. He declined to get more detailed, although he specifically said Swearinger had not made any comments out of turn -- a big reason Swearinger had been cut by Washington last season.
Kingsbury did not name a specific replacement, saying the rookies Deionte Thompson and Jalen Thompson, along with recently signed veteran Chris Banjo could all step into Swearinger's spot. Kingsbury said he didn't think the role of Budda Baker "will shift too much."
Deionte Thompson, who has gotten more playing time over the last couple of games, has gotten the most defensive work so far this season as a third safety.
Continue reading...