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The Arizona Cardinals bolstered their defense in an effort to improve their odds of winning the NFC West by signing two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Johnathan Joseph on Wednesday.
Joseph, 36, joined the Tennessee Titans this season after spending his previous 14 pro seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans. It was with the Texans that Joseph made his two Pro Bowl appearances, in 2011 and 2012.
While he's obviously not in his prime at this stage of his career, Joseph can still play. He had earned a starting role on the Titans, a team that made the AFC Championship Game last season and is 5-2 this season.
While he didn't play well at all in Tennessee's Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, it was a surprise to see the veteran cut in the middle of the season, but the Titans' loss is the Arizona Cardinals' gain. The Titans executed a trade for Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Desmond King before the deadline, which made Joseph expendable.
NFL Free Agency: Arizona Cardinals bolster defense with Joseph
The Arizona Cardinals have been looking for years to fill the other cornerback spot across the field from All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson.
Dre Kirkpatrick and Byron Murphy have started games at the corner opposite Peterson. If Joseph can't take the starting job full-time for himself on the Arizona Cardinals, he can at least provide depth and experience at the position.
Joseph helped the Bengals reach the playoffs three times, and helped the Texans make the postseason four times.
In an NFC West division that has standout receivers like D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods of the Los Angeles Rams, and Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, having as much help as possible in the defensive secondary is a plus.
The Arizona Cardinals are 5-2, trailing the 6-1 Seahawks in the division. The Cardinals beat the Seahawks in Week 7, and will face them again in Week 11.
For the Titans this season, Joseph had 28 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble and four pass breakups. In his career, he's racked up 32 interceptions, 198 pass breakups and eight defensive touchdowns.
