The Arizona Cardinals used their priority slot in the NFL’s waiver order and claimed safety D.J. Swearinger after his release from the Washington Redskins.
Everyone knew a contender like the Kansas City Chiefs had very little hope for actually getting to claim safety D.J. Swearinger, and on Tuesday it was made official. In fact, no other team in the NFL besides the Arizona Cardinals had the chance to claim the Pro Bowl alternate.
Swearinger, a veteran safety, was released by the Washington Redskins on Monday in a surprise move that came on the heels of Swearinger’s public criticism of his coaching staff. That move sent Swearinger to the NFL’s waiver order, and the Cardinals, as the worst team in the league, have first rights to claim any such player that comes across the transaction wire.
All along it was unlikely that a team so far down the pecking order, such as the Chiefs, would be able to claim Swearinger in the first place. However, that didn’t stop rumors from surfacing that the team was going to do its homework on the safety to see how he might fit. When a player has a history of such vocal outbursts, character concerns could enter the picture, but for the Chiefs, the personnel need is great as well and Swearinger would have been a talent worth considering.
For now, the Chiefs have to hope their current group of safeties—one that, it should be noted, they’ve tried to improve upon this season already with the failed Earl Thomas deal—will perform well enough as is for postseason success. Eric Berry’s return will fulfill some of those hopes. Daniel Sorensen also returned midseason from a fractured leg, so the team might get more from him with each week that he settles back onto the field.
Swearinger began his career with the Cardinals in the first place, so the waiver claim is actually a homecoming for all parties involved.