Arizona Cardinals sign linebacker Karlos Dansby
May 10, 2013, 3:34 PM | Updated: 6:22 pm
With Pro Bowl linebacker Daryl Washington’s future unknown going into the 2013 season, the Arizona Cardinals have decided to reconnect with their past to fill the void.
The team announced Friday it has agreed to a one-year contract with veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby, and he’s happy to be back.
“It’s a blessing to have this opportunity to chase a ring with two guys I know I came in with,” Dansby told The SiriusXM Blitz Friday. “Darnell Dockett and Larry Fitzgerald, another opportunity to take a stab at it.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I had to take advantage of it.”
Dansby said he had to go for it, and is hopeful he can end up in the team’s Ring of Honor when his career is done.
But the decision to return to Arizona made too much sense for him not to agree to a contract, with him still having a home in the Valley along with his family being in town.
“It’s perfect timing,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit and they needed my services. They wanted me back in the building.”
Indeed, the timing could not have been much better, as Washington is going to miss at least the first four games of the 2013 season and the Cardinals needed someone to fill in. Also, it doesn’t hurt that ‘Los brings leadership to the team, too.
“If they’re looking for answers they can come to me,” Dansby said of young players like Washington and rookie Tyrann Mathieu. “I don’t have to force my will on nobody. If they see fit to ask me a question or two, I’m open to giving them answers.”
Dansby, who was originally selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft and played six years with the organization from 2004-2009 before joining the Miami Dolphins as a free agent.
Dansby tallied a career-best eight sacks in 2006, and posted what was then a career-high 119 tackles in 2008. His fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 NFC Wild Card round won the game in overtime, and will go down as one of the greatest plays in franchise history.
During his six seasons in the Valley, Dansby only missed six games and recorded 555 tackles, 25.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 10 interceptions.
After the 2009 season, Dansby took his talents to South Beach on a five-year deal with the Dolphins. However, despite recording a career-high 134 tackles in 2012, the team released him in March.
Dansby said he drew interested from multiple teams, but none were willing to offer the money he was hoping to receive.
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