Posted by Darren Urban on May 14, 2014 – 9:36 am

The Cardinals inched closer to their roster max of 90 players when they signed a pair of players Tuesday to one-year deals: safety Anthony Walters (pictured below) and linebacker Keenan Clayton. Walters, who plays special teams well, appeared in 13 games for the Bears last season. Clayton has been in the league for three seasons, last playing for the Raiders in 2012. It’ll take the Cardinals’ roster to 89 players.

(I was mistaken last week, by the way, in saying the Cardinals have “extra” roster spots as long as the draft picks aren’t signed. That rule changed with the advent of the 90-man roster in 2011. Now, draft picks count against the 90, signed or not.)

Clayton was originally a 2010 fourth-round draft pick of the Eagles and was cut by Oakland during training camp last season. Walters was an undrafted rookie in 2011 who came into the league with the Bears. The Cardinals probably needed a body at safety after coming out of draft weekend with only No. 1 pick Deone Bucannon, and it never hurts to get a defensive back who can play special teams. Clayton is another inside linebacker.

The roster will likely continue to churn in the offseason, even after adding whomever it is as the 90th body. As coaches get a sense of what these guys can do over OTAs — and if another player they like comes available — there will be moves.

Tags: Anthony Walters Posted in Blog