WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- The New Orleans Saints will work out veteran cornerback Alfonzo Dennard today, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson.
UPDATE: Coach Sean Payton said the Saints worked out a total of three cornerbacks Thursday, though he didn't identify them. The visits comes in the wake of a rash of injuries to Saints cornerbacks -- though Payton said starter Keenan Lewis could return as soon as Friday, which is a huge relief for the Saints.
Lewis left practice Wednesday with an undisclosed ailment and was watching from the sideline on Thursday.
Rookie cornerbacks P.J. Williams and Damian Swann have also been sidelined this week for unspecified reasons (the Saints aren’t required to give out injury information this time of year). And nickel cornerback Delvin Breaux missed part of Wednesday’s practices before returning to the field Thursday.
Dennard, who turns 26 next month, was released by the Arizona Cardinals last week after failing to climb up the depth chart at a crowded position this summer. Dennard joined the Cardinals after being waived by the New England Patriots in May.
Dennard (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) was a starter for much of his three-year career in New England. But he fell down the depth chart last season after the Patriots added free agents Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. And he played in only six games before being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury in December.
Dennard started 24 of the 33 games he played in New England, including four playoff games. He had seven interceptions, including two in the playoffs. He’s a physical cornerback who did an excellent job stifling big Saints receiver Marques Colston in their 2013 matchup.
Dennard has battled off-the-field issues, though. He was convicted of punching a police officer outside of a bar just days before the 2012 draft -- which dropped the former Nebraska standout into the seventh round. Then he violated his parole when he was arrested for suspicion of drunken driving in 2013. Dennard pled no contest for refusing to submit to a chemical test, but was required to serve 35 days in a detention center last offseason for the parole violation.
