Prince

Amukamara

The Saints also added cornerback KeiVarae Russell. Amukamara was signed to the Cardinals practice squad last year but never got called up to the active roster. He was previously signed and then cut by the Raiders prior to landing in Arizona. At 32 years old, the former first-round pick will likely play a rotational for New Orleans.

Amukamara, a 2011 first-round pick, spent last year on the Cardinals’ practice squad. The Saints also worked out free agent KeiVarae Russell this week.

When word broke of Amukamara’s signing last week, it was assumed it would be to the 53-man roster. Instead, it’s the taxi squad, though it’s hard to envision Amukamara not being promoted after a few weeks of conditioning to get back up to game speed. The Cardinals have quietly had one of the league’s better pass defenses through the season’s first five weeks.

Amukamara will be signed provided his physical and COVID-19 testing go according to plan. Dre Kirkpatrick has been banged up early and the Cardinals don’t have much depth behind Patrick Peterson. Amukamara was solid enough last season for the Bears. It’s surprising how long he lingered on the open market. He should see snaps in the desert.

The team signed Amukamara, 31, in May, after he was released by the Bears. Amukamara in 2019 was graded as the No. 47 corner among 132 qualifiers by Pro Football Focus. Look for the veteran to catch on with a cornerback-needy team in the coming weeks.

The Raiders have been trying to add a veteran corner all offseason and finally were able to bring one in. Amukamara is 31 years old and exiting the prime of his career, but he can make starts in Las Vegas and be a mentor to the Raiders’ youthful secondary. Last year with the Bears, Amukamara was graded as the No. 47 corner among 132 qualifiers by PFF and allowed 8.9 yards per target while in coverage.

Released on Feb. 21, Amukamara had already been eligible to sign but did not draw any public interest as the new CBA was being hashed out. Although he’s now on the wrong side of 30, Amukamara remains a solid No. 2 or 3 corner.

Chicago is also parting ways with WR Taylor Gabriel, which saves the team a combined $13.5 million against the cap. Amukamara started 15 games for the Bears last season as a 30-year-old, finishing as PFF’s No. 43 corner out of 133 qualifiers. He’ll be a target for win-now teams in free agency as he heads out of the prime of his career. Expect Amukamara to land a CB2 job in the next few months.

Amukamara was a late addition to the injury report this week and is shaping up as a true game-time decision. Still, Sammy Watkins (84% snaps in Week 15) and Demarcus Robinson (56%) continue to work well ahead of both Mecole Hardman (21%) and Byron Pringle (9%). Neither Watkins nor Robinson have done much of anything this season outside of monster one-week performances in early September, while Hardman and Pringle aren’t viable fantasy option with these sorts of part-time roles.

Still, the Bears also haven’t exactly been a defense to fear when it comes to No. 1 WRs. The likes of Kenny Golladay (4-158-1), Michael Thomas (9-131-0), Stefon Diggs (7-108-0), Emmanuel Sanders (11-98-1) and most recently Amari Cooper (6-83-1) all managed to pop off against this (still solid) defense. Continue to fire up Davante Adams as a no-doubt WR1.