Cardinals sign S Verone McKinley III to practice squad, release LB Caleb Johnson
Jan 3, 2024, 1:51 PM
Verone McKinley III is the newest addition to the Cardinals' practice squad. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
(Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals announced the signing of safety Verone McKinley III to the practice squad on Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, the Cardinals released linebacker Caleb Johnson, who was added to the practice squad a week ago.
The 5-foot-10 McKinley was most recently a member of the Miami Dolphins practice squad before being released on Dec. 6. He spent his entire season to that point on the Dolphins practice squad.
He was signed by Miami as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon in 2022 and spent the first half of his rookie season on its practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in November.
He played in 10 of the Dolphins’ final 11 games in 2022, recording an interception in a Week 11 win over the Houston Texans in which he also recorded a QB hit.
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McKinley, 23 years old, finished the season with 16 tackles in addition to the one interception and one QB hit in 10 games played.
While at Oregon, he tallied 172 tackles, two for loss, 11 interceptions, 21 passes defensed, two fumbles forced and one fumble recovery in 38 games played. His Ducks career included two Pac-12 Championship titles, a Rose Bowl win and a Fiesta Bowl loss.
The Cardinals house five safeties on their active roster including Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Joey Blount, Andre Chachere and Qwuantrezz Knight.
