TEMPE, Ariz. -- If last season was any indication, Tyvon Branch will fit in just fine in the Arizona Cardinals' secondary.
Put it however you want: He's a ball-hawk. He has a nose for the ball. He's in the right place at the right time. Branch, who agreed to a two-year contract with Arizona on Wednesday, knows how to get his hands on the football, and that's exactly what the Cardinals wanted from a safety in free agency.
Even though he started just two games, Branch found his way into the end zone twice in 2015, his only season with the Kansas City Chiefs. And he batted 1.000 doing so. He returned his only interception and his only fumble recovery for touchdowns, accounting for two of the Chiefs' six defensive touchdowns.
Branch found the right landing spot in Arizona, a defense that prides itself on forcing turnovers and converting them into points.
The Cardinals' secondary last season had 17 of the team's 19 interceptions, forced six of its 19 fumbles, accounted for four of its 12 fumble recoveries and scored four of its six defensive touchdowns. Branch comes to Arizona already with more defensive touchdowns last season than any defensive back (four tied with one), so he'll fit in just right.
With a two-year deal reported to be worth as much as $10 million including bonuses, Branch is likely the replacement to former starting free safety Rashad Johnson. But he'll have to expect competition from fellow safeties D.J. Swearinger and Tony Jefferson, who the Cardinals both tendered earlier this month, if either or both return to Arizona next season. It's a role that neither Swearinger nor Jefferson will give up easily.
There's a chance Jefferson, should he return, could begin the season as Arizona's strong safety while Tyrann Mathieu continues to recover from an ACL injury suffered in Week 15. But when Mathieu returns, he'll give the Cardinals a set of ball-hawking safeties that could end up ranking among the best in the league.
Branch has that kind of potential, even though he's never had more than one interception in a season.
But with the type of talent around him, Branch found a team where he can grow as a safety and as a ball hawk.