Cardinals reportedly add former 49ers special teams assistant Derius Swinton

The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly added to their coaching staff.

Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Cardinals have hired Derius Swinton II as the assistant special teams coach.

The hire comes after the reported firing of assistant special teams coach Randall McCray.

Swinton has spent time with six NFL franchises, working with the special teams in some capacity, including the San Francisco 49ers as a special teams coordinator. He last served as an offensive assistant with the Detroit Lions in 2018.

It will be a familiar face for assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, who spent time with Swinton in Denver and Chicago. Swinton served as an assistant special teams coach with both teams.

Swinton got his coaching start in 2007 as a defensive graduate assistant for the Tennessee Volunteers. He made his NFL debut with the then-St. Louis Rams in 2009 as a special teams quality control coach.

The Cardinals ranked 18th in the NFL in yards per punt return (7.0) and 24th in yards per kick return (21.2) in 2019. The team also ranked among the top 10 in fewest yards allowed on opposing punt returns, and ranked eighth in field goal percentage (88.6%) and third in yards per punt (47.0).

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