Cardinals Sign Second-Round TE Trey McBride
The Cardinals are almost finished signing their draft class. The team announced that they’ve signed second-round tight end Trey McBride, seventh-round cornerback Christian Matthew, and seventh-round offensive lineman Marquis Hayes to their rookie contracts.
Following a standout college career at Colorado State, the Cardinals made McBride not only their first selection of the draft. They also made him the first tight end off the board when they selected him in the second round (No. 55). After collecting 74 receptions through his first three collegiate seasons, McBride exploded in 2021, hauling in 90 catches for 1,121 yards. The performance earned him a number of accolades, including a unanimous All-American selection and the John Mackey Award, which is given to the top tight end in college football.
The Cardinals held on to Zach Ertz, so McBride will be playing behind the veteran to start his career. However, in a creative and (usually) high-flying offense, it shouldn’t take look for McBride to carve out a role.
As our team-by-team 2022 NFL Draft results show, the Cardinals only have a pair of unsigned draft picks:
- Round 2: No. 55 Trey McBride, TE (Colorado State) (signed)
- Round 3: No. 87 Cameron Thomas, DE (San Diego State)
- Round 3: No. 100 (from Ravens) Myjai Sanders, DE (Cincinnati)
- Round 6: No. 201 Keaontay Ingram, RB (USC) (signed)
- Round 6: No. 215 Lecitus Smith, OG (Virginia Tech) (signed)
- Round 7: No. 244 Christian Matthew, CB (Valdosta State) (signed)
- Round 7: No. 256 Jesse Luketa, OLB (Penn State) (signed)
- Round 7: No. 257 Marquis Hayes, OG (Oklahoma) (signed)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/22
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed: OLB Jessie Lemonier (from Lions)
- Released: DL LaRon Stokes
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DL Daniel Joseph
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OT Shon Coleman
- Waived: P Ryan Winslow
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: S Luther Kirk (from Falcons), CB Reggie Robinson II (from Texans)
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OG Zack Johnson
- Waived: DB Cortez Davis
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OL Jahmir Johnson
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: S Kolby Harvell-Peel
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed: OG Zack Bailey (from Commanders)
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: TE Roger Carter, CB T.J. Carter, LB Andrzej Hughes-Murray, S Daniel Isom, WR Lance McCutcheon
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: OG Eric Wilson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed: WR Josh Hammond (from Jaguars)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on IR: CB Bryce Watts
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Troy Fumagalli
- Waived: TE Garrett Walston
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Christian Blake, S Tae Daley, QB Jarrett Guarantano, OL Greg Long, RB T.J. Pledger, WR Jared Smart
- Waived: LB Ron’Dell Carter, OL Marcus Henry, LB Changa Hodge, S Kekaula Kaniho, DL Will Miles, WR Stephon Robinson
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Tucker Fisk
- Waived: WR Chad Hansen, TE Daniel Helm, DB Luther Kirk
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Vince Biegel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT C.J. Brewer, DT Prince Emili, CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, T Will Ulmer
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OT Wyatt Miller, TE Jared Scott
- Waived: DB Drew Hartlaub (left squad), CB Troy Pride Jr. (failed physical)
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Junior Faulk
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Zack Johnson
- Waived: CB Cortez Davis
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OLB Natrez Patrick
- Waived: OLB Jessie Lemonier
Houston Texans
- Claimed: DB Kendall Sheffield (from Falcons), WR Connor Wedington (from 49ers)
- Waived: CB Reggie Robinson
- Waived/injured: S Kolby Harvell-Peel
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Naz Bohannon, WR Marvin Hall, WR Willie Johnson, WR Ryan McDaniel
- Waived: WR Terry Godwin, WR Josh Hammond, S Sean Mahone, OL Marcus Tatum
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Stanford Samuels III, T Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
- Waived: C Brett Heggie, WR Tré Turner
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB William Kwenkeu
- Waived: LB Tuf Borland
New England Patriots
- Signed: LS Ross Reiter
- Waived: DB Devin Hafford, QB/WR D’Eriq King
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Keric Wheatfall
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Elijah Jones, T Liam Ryan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Kameron Brown, DL Mike Greene, TE J.J. Howland
- Waived: DL Kobe Smith, WR Austin Watkins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Kenneth George
- Placed on IR: S Jamal Carter
Washington Commanders
- Claimed (from Broncos): T Drew Himmelman
- Signed: CB Nijuel Hill, LB Bryce Notree
- Waived: G Zack Bailey, LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/22
We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Nick Grant, OL Greg Long
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Tre Webb
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Jared Scott
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: QB Felix Harper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Willie Johnson IV
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: WR Jalen McCleskey
Cardinals Promote Whipple, Turner
- Shifting to the coaching side, the Cardinals made a couple of adjustments. Assistant wide receivers coach Spencer Whipple and quarterbacks coach Cam Turner are now the team’s co-passing-game coordinators. Cam Turner, one of Norv Turner‘s sons currently coaching in the NFL, will retain his role as QBs coach.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/22
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Kingsley Keke
- Placed on Non-Football Injury List: TE Alex Ellis
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: CB Kendall Sheffield, TE Ryan Becker
Chicago Bears
- Waived: TE Jesper Horsted
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Abu Daramy-Swaray
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: RB Tre Harbison (non-football injury)
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: K Chris Naggar
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-Signed: OL Jared Hocker
- Released: OL Denzel Okafor
New England Patriots
- Waived: OL Liam Shanahan (failed physical designation)
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: TE Dylan Soehner (failed physical designation), TE Ethan Wolf
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Trenton Scott
- Released: OL Malcolm Pridgeon
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: WR Connor Wedington
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Deontez Alexander, WR Kevin Kassis
- Waived: WR Matt Cole, WR Jake Herslow, WR John Mitchell, WR Demetris Robertson
Washington Commanders
- Waived: S De’Vante Cross
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Kingsley Keke
Carolina Panthers
- Released: OT Aaron Monteiro, WR Aaron Parker
Chicago Bears
- Released: WR Cyrus Holder, WR Henry Litwin
Detroit Lions
- Waived: S Jalen Elliott, WR Javon McKinley
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: QB Garrett Gilbert
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/22
Thursday has featured several rookie deals finalized. Here are the mid- and late-round draftees to sign their four-year contracts today:
Arizona Cardinals
- RB Keaontay Ingram (sixth round, USC)
- OL Lecitus Smith (sixth round, Virginia Tech)
- LB Jesse Luketa (seventh round, Penn State)
Atlanta Falcons
- RB Tyler Allgeier (fifth round, BYU)
- G Justin Shaffer (sixth round, Georgia)
- TE John FitzPatrick (sixth round, Georgia)
Buffalo Bills
- LB Terrel Bernard (third round, Baylor)
Cleveland Browns
- CB Martin Emerson (third round, Mississippi State)
- DE Alex Wright (third round, UAB)
- WR David Bell (third round, Purdue)
- RB Jerome Ford (fifth round, Cincinnati)
- WR Mike Woods (sixth round, Oklahoma)
- DE Isaiah Thomas (seventh round, Oklahoma)
- C Dawson Deaton (seventh round, Texas Tech)
Dallas Cowboys
- DT John Ridgeway (fifth round, Arkansas)
Denver Broncos
- WR Montrell Washington (fifth round, Samford)
Detroit Lions
- TE James Mitchell (fifth round, Virginia Tech)
Houston Texans
- RB Dameon Pierce (fourth round, Florida)
- DT Thomas Booker (fifth round, Stanford)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Snoop Conner (fifth round, Ole Miss)
- CB Gregory Junior (sixth round, Ouachita Baptist)
- CB Montaric Brown (seventh round, Arkansas)
Las Vegas Raiders
- G Dylan Parham (third round, Memphis)
- DT Matthew Butler (fifth round, Tennessee)
- T Thayer Munford (seventh round, Ohio State)
- RB Brittain Brown (seventh round, UCLA)
Miami Dolphins
- DE Cameron Goode (seventh round, California)
Minnesota Vikings
- DE Esezi Otomewo (fifth round, Minnesota)
- RB Ty Chandler (sixth round, North Carolina)
- T Vederian Lowe (sixth round, Illinois)
- WR Jalen Nailor (sixth round, Michigan State)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- RB Rachaad White (third round, Arizona State)
- CB Zyon McCollum (fifth round, Sam Houston State)
- TE Ko Kieft (sixth round, Minnesota)
- OLB Andre Anthony (seventh round, LSU)
Tennessee Titans
- RB Hassan Haskins (fourth round, Michigan)
- WR Kyle Philips (fifth round, UCLA)
- CB Theo Jackson (sixth round, Tennessee)
- LB Chance Campbell (sixth round, Ole Miss)
Center Billy Price To Visit Cardinals
Former first-round pick Billy Price is looking to join the third team of his career. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Price will be visiting the Cardinals with hopes to end his stint as a free agent. 
Price was drafted No. 21 overall in 2018 to become the new starting center for the Bengals. After starting the first two games of his rookie season, Price injured his foot and missed six games before returning to start the rest of the season. He started his sophomore season on the bench, returning to the starting lineup intermittently throughout the year. In his third season, Price was much more consistently on the bench, starting only one game in 2020, his last start as a Bengal. The Bengals declined his fifth-year option at the conclusion of the season, making the 2021 NFL season a contract year for Price.
Just prior to the 2021 season, Cincinnati traded Price to the Giants in exchange for defensive tackle B.J. Hill. Price didn’t start Week 1 for the Giants, possibly due to the short acclimation period, but earned the starting center job for the rest of the season, only sitting out a Week 17 game to heal from a personal family loss.
Last year, Arizona traded for then-Raiders center Rodney Hudson. While Hudson performed well during his first year in Arizona, he did miss five games throughout the year, some with rib and shoulder injuries and some with COVID-19. Arizona no longer rosters Max Garcia who filled in for Hudson last year, and the only other center on the roster is Marcus Henry who has appeared in six games since joining the league in 2016 without ever making a start.
If signed, Price would add some quality depth to the Cardinals’ offensive line, giving them a solid back up option should Hudson need to miss any games next year.
DeAndre Hopkins’ Long-Term Future In Doubt?
It came out yesterday that DeAndre Hopkins will miss more than a third of the 2022 season due to a violation of the NFL’s PED policy. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes, his return from suspension will play a large role in affecting his future with the Cardinals beyond the coming campaign. 
[RELATED: Hopkins Suspended Six Games For PED Violation]
The 29-year-old was everything the Cardinals would have asked for in his first year after being traded by the Texans. He put up his third-highest career total in terms of receiving yards with 1,407, adding six touchdowns on 115 receptions. Part of the reason he was able to do that was the fact that he was available for the entire season. As of the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Hopkins had missed only two games in his career.
That changed last year, though. He missed a combined total of seven contests in the regular season, as well as the team’s playoff loss to the Rams. His absence down the stretch was caused by a torn MCL, and had a dramatic impact on the team’s offense. The suspension means that, by the time Hopkins his eligible to return, he will have been sidelined for 14 of Arizona’s 16 most recent games.
Breer confirms that, as many expected, the knowledge of Hopkins’ impending suspension contributed to “the Cardinals’ pursuit of, and eventual trade for” Marquise Brown. More importantly, though, Breer also notes the financial ramifications of keeping Hopkins beginning in 2023. At that point, his salary is scheduled to jump from $6.65MM to just under $19.5MM, while his cap hit will spike to over $30MM. The 2024 season would, as his contract is currently structured, be similarly expensive.
Between that, and the uncertainty which will surround the five-time Pro Bowler regarding his recovery, Breer writes that “how the back end of 2022 goes for him could go a long way to determining where his career goes thereafter”. That statement would have been much more surprising 24 hours ago, but now, the degree to which it could hold true will be a storyline worth watching throughout the year.