In need of additions in the secondary, the Cardinals will add cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. Team and player have agreed to terms on a deal, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports.
This will be a third team in three years for the former Buccaneers cog, who spent the past season with the Titans after signing a “prove it” deal. The Cardinals have steadily lost their top corners, seeing Patrick Peterson leave in 2021 and Byron Murphy two years later. Arizona has more work to do here, but Murphy-Bunting represents a start.
Despite Murphy-Bunting being benched in 2022 and submitting an inconsistent career, the Cardinals will give him a nice guarantee on a cornerback market that featured mostly older players available. It is a three-year, $25.5MM deal, with Garafolo adding $17.5MM is guaranteed at signing. Count Murphy-Bunting as one of the many players to benefit from the recent cap spike.
The Bucs demoted Murphy-Bunting during his contract year, and while Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics graded the former second-round pick well, he still took a seat behind regulars Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean. This led to a one-year, $3.5MM Titans pact for the former Super Bowl LV starter.
In Tennessee, Murphy-Bunting saw more time, playing 88% of the Titans’ defensive snaps. He allowed a 91.8 passer rating as the closest defender and saw his yards per target skyrocket to 9.3 in Tennessee’s scheme. The 91.8 rating did represent an improvement for Murphy-Bunting from his past two years as a full-timer (2020, 2021), as his rating in coverage topped 100 each year.
While Murphy-Bunting is only 26, time is running out for the Central Michigan product to establish some consistency. That said, he has already scored a nice payday despite an inconsistent past. Arizona waived three-year starter Marco Wilson late last season, and fellow starter Antonio Hamilton is out of contract. Jonathan Gannon‘s team has work to do at corner, continuing a 2020s refrain for the franchise.