New England Patriots Cut Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard

Update: The Arizona Cardinals have claimed Alfonzo Dennard off waivers.

The New England Patriots have just announced that they are parting ways with cornerback Alfonzo Dennard.

The three-year veteran has had a host of problems that has affected his on-the-field play. Just five days before the 2012 NFL Draft, he  was arrested on felony assault of an officer charges. He was originally supposed be picked in the top two rounds, but soon saw his stock plummet, resulting in the Pats selecting him in the seventh.

In the following year, he was convicted and was given a 30-day jail sentence and two years of probation. But he soon violated his probation in July 2013, after he was arrested for driving under the influence. As a result, he was given another 30-day sentence.

During the 2014 offseason, he served both of them consecutively and was released from jail after 35 days for good behavior and time served.

Still, the athlete had a standout rookie year in 2012, playing in ten games and garnering three interceptions, one forced fumble and 35 tackles. However, his numbers began to dwindle over the next two seasons, where he only appeared in 19 games with two interceptions and 60 tackles.

On top of this, injuries became a consistent problem.  And at the end of 2014, he ended up on the season-ending IR with a hamstring problem.

This announcement was made alongside the cutting of long-snapper Tyler Ott and linebacker Deontae Skinner. However, the loss of the corner is the most surprising because the Pats are fairly thin at the position: especially since both of their starting corners, Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, departed during free agency.

Article by Anthony Falco