Linebacker Larry Foote (50), then with the Steelers, tackles Cardinals running back Tim Hightower in Super Bowl XLIII. Foote has signed with the Cards on a one-year deal.

The Cardinals tried to get Larry Foote once before, back in 2010 when he was a free agent and then-coach Ken Whisenhunt liked the idea of getting a veteran linebacker that he knew.

Instead, Foote re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers – the Cardinals did end up signing one-time Steelers linebacker Joey

Porter – and it looked like the Foote-to-Arizona possibility had passed.

That changed Wednesday, when it was officially announced that Foote was signing a one-year contract with the Cardinals to provide inside depth at a position that could use it after the free-agent defection of Karlos Dansby and a possible suspension for starter Daryl Washington.

Heading into Thursday's draft, the Cardinals had just four inside linebackers on the roster – Washington, Kevin Minter, JoJo Dickson and Kenny Demens -- although coach Bruce Arians had said Lorenzo Alexander can play some inside. Now Foote, who turns 34 next month, provides some breathing room.

Foote's signing lines up less with last year's Dansby move and more with last year's decision to bring in inside linebacker Jasper Brinkley. Brinkley came in prior to Dansby and before the Cards drafted Minter, providing a steady veteran bridge early in the season. With Dansby's emergence, Brinkley's playing time shrunk and he was released earlier this offseason.

Foote played in just one game for the Steelers last season before rupturing his biceps and going on injured reserve. He played a role in a notable play in Cards' history, as the defender beaten by tight end Ben Patrick when Patrick caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII.