The Arizona Cardinals corner hasn’t played a single down for the team since signing last year
Last year, the Arizona Cardinals brought in former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford in hopes of him refortifying their secondary. That never happened, as he broke his leg last summer, just days prior to the start of the 2019 NFL season. Flash forward to 2020, it’s the same old, same old for Alford.
According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, Alford suffered a pectoral injury during Arizona’s practice on Sunday. Team doctors are currently evaluating Alford to see how long he’ll be on the sidelines.
The Alford experiment has not gone as the team had planned
Alford was a 2013 second-round draft pick by the Falcons, and spent a full six years with the organization. Last year, Atlanta released Alford for the purpose of freeing up cap space. The veteran corner was just two years into the four-year, $38 million contract extension he signed back in 2016.
The Cardinals swooped in just two days after Alford’s release to sign him to a three-year, $22.5 million contract. Arizona was a team in serious need of cornerback depth behind Patrick Peterson. The team added Byron Murphy through the 2019 NFL Draft to serve as their rotational corner, but he was thrusted quickly into the starting rotation.
Peterson was handed a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and Alford broke his leg during a team practice on Aug. 31. Thus, the rookie got extended playing time.
The last season Alford played, he was far from impressive. Alford played in 15 games for the Falcons in 2018, and he allowed 53 catches on 79 targets for 887 yards and eight touchdowns. In his career, Alford recorded 303 tackles, 85 passes defensed and 10 interceptions.
All Arizona can do right now is hope that Alford’s injury isn’t too serious, so he can finally take his first down in a Cardinals uniform.