Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

The Arizona Cardinals agreed to a contract with veteran cornerback Alan Ball on Thursday, subsequently releasing Tyrequek Zimmerman to create roster space.

Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website reported the news.

Ball, 31, spent the 2015 season with the Chicago Bears. He recorded 18 total tackles in 15 games, mostly serving as a backup and occasional special teamer.

The former seventh-round pick spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played one season with the Houston Texans and five with the Dallas Cowboys.

While he'll be entering his 10th NFL season, Ball has hung around despite spending most of his career as a backup. He has started more than five games in a season just three times, and 31 of his 47 career starts came in two years (2010, 2013).

The Cardinals brought Ball in for a workout earlier Thursday, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Their starters on the outside are set with Patrick Peterson and Tyvon Branch, though Arizona was likely looking for insurance in case Tyrann Mathieu (knee) isn't healthy going into the season. Ball has played some safety in his career, and Mathieu is returning from his second ACL tear in three years.

In all likelihood, Ball's going to be a camp body who has to battle to make the roster. Arizona's stable of defensive backs is deep and young, and the team may lean toward someone with more potential when it cuts its roster down to 53 players.

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