The Arizona Cardinals are absolutely scrambling for defensive back help, and guess who just showed up for a workout: D’Anthony Bell, a guy who actually signed with our own Seattle Seahawks not too long ago. It’s early October, and already, the Cardinals’ secondary is in crisis mode, pushing their GM to pull in a handful of safeties just to update the player profile lists and find someone, anyone, to shore things up.
Arizona’s DB Disaster: More Than Just One Injury
Man, you gotta feel for how things have gone sideways in Glendale. Heading into this season, their defensive back group was supposed to be a real strength, a point of pride. Then, BOOM, cornerback Will Johnson went down and is out for the entire year. Apparently, he was the whole darn glue holding that secondary together, because since his injury, the entire unit has been having major coverage issues. And honestly, it’s not entirely their fault. Their defensive line just isn’t getting any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Like, at all. You can’t ask a defensive back to cover someone forever, right? Without a decent pass rush, QBs have all day to survey the field, let their guys run their routes, break off, and find wide-open spots. That’s a recipe for disaster, and it’s exactly what’s amplifying the problems in their backfield.
The Safety Search: Familiar Faces and Fresh Looks
So, who did GM Monti Ossenfort bring in to try and fix this mess? Four safeties: D’Anthony Bell, Dan Jackson, Mark Perry, and Nate Valcarcel. Our guy, D’Anthony Bell, stands 6′-1″, 211 pounds, and he’s got some real game under his belt. He won a National Championship at the D-2 level, went undrafted, and then hooked up with the Cleveland Browns, where he played in 50 games with seven starts. He made a name for himself on punt and kickoff coverage teams there. After that, he signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in free agency, and *then* he inked a deal with our Seattle Seahawks. With 76 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 interceptions, 4 pass defenses, 1 forced fumble, and 3 pressures, plus a 4.51 40-yard dash, Bell is clearly the most experienced of the bunch.
The other guys? Dan Jackson (6′-1″, 195 lbs) played for Georgia, snagging two National Championships, and got a Senior Bowl invite. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in Round 7 of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he hasn’t seen any regular-season action yet, running a 4.46. Then there’s Mark Perry (6’0″, 211 lbs), who played at Colorado and TCU. He went undrafted in 2024, signed with the Miami Dolphins, got cut, and has been on five practice squads without playing in any NFL contests. He’s got a 4.42 speed. Finally, Nate Valcarcel (6′-1″, 194 lbs) from Northern Illinois, undrafted in 2025. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams, was waived, hit their practice squad for 2025, had a “good training camp” this offseason, but still got waived on the final cutdown. Zero games for him either, with a 4.53 40-yard dash. Seriously, out of all four, Bell is the *only* one with significant NFL snaps. It really makes you wonder what the Cardinals are seeing in the others, and how bad things must be for them to be digging this deep.
The Cardinals are clearly desperate for any kind of spark in their secondary, and bringing in a former Seahawk like Bell shows they’re casting a wide net. For us, it’s always interesting to see where former players land, especially when it’s with a division rival. This early in the season, every move counts for these guys trying to climb out of the hole they’ve dug themselves into. We’ll be watching to see if any of these workouts actually translate into game action for Arizona, and especially if Bell ends up back on an NFC West sideline, even if it’s on the wrong side of the ball.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Revenge of the Birds.
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