Alfonzo Dennard Cut by Cardinals: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Arizona Cardinals released cornerback Alfonzo Dennard at the dawn of training camp on Wednesday.

ESPN's Josina Anderson had the news first, and Darren Urban confirmed the transaction on the Cardinals' official website. Arizona claimed Dennard after the New England Patriots released him in May, but his stay in the desert was short-lived.

Dennard climbed up the depth chart with the Pats to go from being a 2012 seventh-round pick to a serviceable contributor, making 20 starts in 29 games for New England in three seasons.

He had been looking forward to the fresh start with Arizona despite his surprise at leaving Foxborough.

"It was shocking, because I thought I did everything right," said Dennard of being waived by the Patriots in May, per Urban. "I guess they had other plans and I wasn't in it. But I'm happy to be here with the Cardinals."

But the 25-year-old's role diminished when the Patriots acquired Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner for last season's run to the Super Bowl. Despite New England losing Revis and Browner on the open market, the team still let Dennard go.

Apparently the Pats' decision was sager than it seemed on the surface in light of how little time Dennard spent with the Cardinals.

AZCardinals.com's Kevin Odegard analyzed how Dennard was meant to fit on Arizona's roster:

It might have made more sense to trade Dennard if he weren't still on the last year of his rookie contract, which only pays $1.542 million, per Spotrac.com—he wouldn't have netted much in a deal anyway. The Cardinals have plenty of firepower in their secondary and will be fine with Patrick Peterson, Jerraud Powers and Tyrann Mathieu on the back end.    

Cornerback depth is critical in the modern NFL with how often teams air it out. Dennard has proven production with 90 combined tackles and five interceptions in his young career, so he's bound to get a shot with another team in camp.

Dennard can at least be a backup for some team, though it is a bit discouraging that he didn't seize a realistic opportunity to nail down a spot on the Cardinals' two-deep cornerback depth chart.