Karlos Dansby the ‘Most Valuable Acquisition’

You don’t have to tell the Arizona Cardinals or their fans about the kind of season linebacker Karlos Dansby had, as they know what the veteran has done in his return to the team.

Dansby produced a banner year, and it led former sports agent Joel Corry to name him the Most Valuable Acquisition in the NFL this year.

The Cardinals got more than their money’s worth from Dansby. He spent two months on the street before signing a one-year, $2.25 million deal (worth a maximum of $3 million through incentives) because of Daryl Washington’s four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Dansby, who was entering the fourth year of a five-year, $42.5 million contract (including $22 million guaranteed) with the Miami Dolphins, was deemed expendable due to Dannell Ellerbe’s free-agent signing. He responded with the best season of his career while helping transform the Cardinals into the NFL’s best run defense after ranking 28th in 2012. The 32 year old finished tied for third in the NFL in solo tackles with 114 and tied for sixth with 19 passes defensed. Dansby led NFL inside linebackers with 6.5 sacks and tied for first at the position with four interceptions. He returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns.

Dansby is set to become a free agent and it is possible he will not return to the Cardinals. But if this was it for him in Arizona, he certainly went out with a bang.

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