‘He’s always been a mentor to me’
CB Kirkpatrick drawn to Arizona by DC Joseph
The Cardinals wanted another cornerback. Dre Kirkpatrick needed a team. But what sealed the deal was a prior relationship.
“I had teams calling, but I was just weighing all my options,” Kirkpatrick said Sunday. “Obviously you guys know I have a great relationship with V.J. (Vance Joseph), and when the time came, I just felt like I was going to go out there and go with the guy I know best.”
Kirkpatrick and Joseph, the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, overlapped in Cincinnati for two years. Kirkpatrick, 30, spent eight years there. Joseph was the defensive backs coach, and though he was just there in 2014 and 2015, the two kept in touch.
“He’s always been a mentor to me, on and off the field,” Kirkpatrick said.
“Even when he left, I was still communicating with him, sending texts, just reaching out on personal things.”
Relationships are important for Kirkpatrick, who talked about being an example for his son in particular during his introductory press conference as a Cardinal. Networking and reuniting with previous coaches is a normal part of the NFL, but that familiarity can be even more important this season, as so much of the offseason was upended.
Kirkpatrick has to catch up fairly quickly, having joined the team partway through training camp. He feels confident in his ability to do so, and a prior understanding of Joseph’s terminology helps. Still, coach Kliff Kingsbury thinks that Kirkpatrick gravitated toward Arizona for more than just the schematic aspects of Joseph’s defense.
“There’s no doubt that trust and their relationship between the two played a huge part in us being able to acquire (Kirkpatrick) and him wanting to come here and play for Vance,” Kingsbury said. “What you see is what you get with V.J., and I believe when (Joseph) talked about the situation, that Dre had an opportunity, that he believed him.”
Joseph acknowledges that his defense has changed some since then, as any defender must evolve to stay up with the rest of the league. But Kirkpatrick has grown, too. A first-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, he says, among other adjustments, he’s learned more about building chemistry with his safeties.
And now, he’s building relationships elsewhere on the defense, with new teammates. Kirkpatrick knew linebacker Chandler Jones, as they were members of the same draft class. But besides Jones, it’s a lot of new faces.
Kirkpatrick, who went to Alabama, said he’s been watching film of fellow cornerback Patrick Peterson for years, but didn’t know him outside of that.
“I watched his game over the years, man, and just finally getting to meet him, he embraced me with open arms,” Kirkpatrick said. “He’s always in my ear. He’s always making sure I’m on point with my alignment and technique, cause I’m coming from a totally different world, totally different place. So the technique is a little bit different, but he’s doing a great job of conveying that and making sure I’m on point.”
He’s also just now getting to know safety Budda Baker.
“Didn’t know Budda, but I like Budda. I like Budda a lot,” Kirkpatrick said, smiling. “I haven’t had a pro bowl safety since Reggie Nelson. So that just shows me that this team is definitely heading in the right direction.”
Kirkpatrick played just six games last season, having been placed on injured reserve after hyper-extending his knee. He feels completely healthy now, and next will try to see if he can start opposite Peterson, with Robert Alford’s injury reshuffling the cornerback room once again.
And if he has questions on the Cardinals defense, he can once again reach out to Joseph, this time from just across the field.
“Through a unique season, I think that does go a long way with with the players,” Kingsbury said.
Roster moves
The Cardinals announced Monday that they released cornerback Jalen Davis. Davis played in two games with the team last season, Weeks 16 and 17, after beginning the year on Arizona’s practice squad. He entered the league in 2018 as an undrafted rookie free agent with Miami.