Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton signs with Falcons

Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. is signing with the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Thursday.

ESPN’s Michael Rothstein was the first to report the move.

Hamilton spent the last three seasons with the Cardinals, registering 40 tackles, one interception and 11 passes defensed.

In 41 games played (16 starts), the veteran cornerback recorded 122 tackles, two interceptions, 20 passes defensed and a fumble recovery. On top of his presence defensively, Hamilton saw at least 44% of available special teams snaps in each of his three seasons in the desert.

Hamilton joined the Cardinals as a practice squad member in 2021. He was promoted to the active roster weeks later and appeared in 17 games with two starts.

The cornerback entered the following season as a starter, beating out Marco Wilson and others in training camp. A freak cooking accident that left Hamilton severely burned would derail those plans, however, with the cornerback instead beginning the season on the reserve/non-football injury list.

He missed four games before returning to action in Week 5. He recorded 44 tackles, one interception and five passes defensed across 10 games played (five starts).

After watching the defense get gashed by the pass in the form of 32 touchdowns given up (third worst in the NFL) and a 102.9 opposing passer rating (second worst), the Cardinals went out and added veteran cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. He is expected to have a big role alongside youngsters Garrett Williams, Staring Thomas V and Kei’Trel Clark.

Arizona could also use one of its 11 picks it currently possesses in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft to further address the position.

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