With the draft approaching, the Cardinals made another signing to bring back one of their own on Tuesday, retaining cornerback Antonio Hamilton on a one-year deal.
Hamilton fits in special teams, and he also slide into the lineup playing significant defensive snaps last season when Byron Murphy missed a game early in the year and later after Robert Alford went down with a season-ending injury.
The Cardinals were also awarded outside linebacker Ron’Dell Carter off waivers Tuesday. He was released by the Texans on Monday. Carter spent the 2021 season on the Cardinals’ practice squad before the Texans signed him after the season.
Hamilton’s return gives yet some more leeway heading into the draft when it comes to selecting a cornerback, although the position will still likely be addressed at some point.
In Hamilton’s first season with the Cardinals, he started the season on the practice squad before being elevated in late September to the 53-man roster. He played in all 17 games, finishing with 17 tackles and four passes defensed.
The Cardinals now have seven cornerbacks on the roster: returning starters Murphy and Marco Wilson, newly signed Jeff Gladney (a 2020 first-round pick of the Vikings), Hamilton, Breon Borders, Nate Brooks and Jace Whittaker.
The draft begins Thursday night at 5 p.m. Arizona time.