Report: Cardinals work out veteran DT Clinton McDonald
Aug 19, 2019, 5:11 PM | Updated: Aug 20, 2019, 4:32 pm
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly continuing to look for help on the defensive line.
The team worked out veteran defensive tackle Clinton McDonald on Monday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The two sides did not agree to a deal at that time, per Schefter.
The workout for McDonald comes after the team had free agent defensive tackle Corey Liuget visit on Saturday.
McDonald, 32, has been with four NFL teams over his nine-year career. Used as mostly a depth piece, McDonald has started five or more games in only three of his seasons, all in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers from 2014-16.
He has 279 career tackles and 21 sacks. Last year for the Oakland Raiders, McDonald started only one game but did play over 400 snaps on the defensive line and at least 50% of them in eight different games.
McDonald was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played there for one season before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks, where he stayed for three years and had 102 tackles.
The Bucs signed McDonald to a four-year, $12 million deal, where he had 13.5 of his 21 sacks over four seasons. He signed with the Denver Broncos last offseason before being released and joining the Raiders.
The Cardinals’ search for more bodies on the defensive line continues for a group sorely in need after the team released two defensive linemen with off-the-field issues in the offseason.
Former Cardinals first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche was arrested on June 6 for speeding and driving on a suspended license. He was also pulled over a second time on June 12 after police ran his license plate number and saw it was suspended. Nkemdiche was released in late July.
Darius Philon, a free agent signing on a two-year, $10 million contract to bolster the defensive line, was released on Aug. 10 after he was arrested the day prior for one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Philon was projected to start at defensive end.
In Thursday’s 33-26 loss to the Oakland Raiders in the preseason, the Cardinals started third-round pick Zach Allen in Philon’s former spot alongside nose tackle Corey Peters and defensive lineman Rodney Gunter.
ArrayAZCardinals defensive snaps vs. #Raiders
DL/NT: Miles Brown 36, Michael Dogbe 30, Terrell McClain 27, Pasoni Tasini 13, Corey Peters 12
DE: Stedman Bailey 29, Reed 19, Cameron Malveaux 15, Chandler Jones 13, Zach Allen 9, Rodney Gunter 9
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) August 16, 2019