Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Will House
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: LB Tyrell Adams
- Signed: CB Michael Hunter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DE Tyrone Holmes
The Raiders and Packers both submitted a waiver claim on new Cardinals safety D.J. Swearinger, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ultimately, the Cardinals won out due to their top priority and 3-12 record, but Swearinger had interest before the claim was finalized. 
Swearinger was in the midst of a productive campaign before the Redskins cut him loose this week. The 27-year-old compiled 53 tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles, and four interceptions in 15 games and the metrics at Pro Football Focus were also high on him this season. Swearinger presently ranks 11th out of 86 eligible safeties.
Swearinger was openly critical of the Redskins’ decision making this year and his vocalness likely led to his release. In any event, Washington’s loss is Arizona’s gain. The Cardinals have secured a Pro Bowl alternate on the cheap and they’ll only be on the hook for paying his $176K paycheck in the final week of the season. After that, the Cards have the ability to keep him for $4.25MM in 2019 or let him go without penalty since that salary is non-guaranteed.
- The Cardinals have the inside track on the 2019 No. 1 pick, but one player believes (via the Arizona Republic’s Bob McManamon) the team has too many needs not to trade down. As of now, no quarterback is looking like a surefire top-five pick. Such a scenario has not unfolded since 2013. But as Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz have shown, the pre-draft process can see some fast-rising prospects. If a member of this class gets to that point, the Cardinals could auction their pick off to a QB-needy team like the Jaguars, Giants or Broncos, McManamon offers. Entering the offseason, the Cardinals hold seven picks in the ’19 draft, their own seven.
Multiple teams reorganized their practice squads on Christmas.
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: S Fish Smithson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Malik Turner
The other part of the Cardinals’ D.J. Swearinger transaction will send rookie tackle Korey Cunningham to IR. A foot injury will end Cunningham’s season.
While an IR move going into Week 17 may merely be procedural, Cunningham has served as Arizona’s starter at left tackle for the past six games. He will add to the long list of Cardinal blockers on IR.
The Cards have lost starters A.Q. Shipley, D.J. Humphries, Justin Pugh and Mike Iupati, along with fill-in starter John Wetzel, this season — a miserable one for Arizona’s offense. The Cardinals rank last in points and yards; the team ending the season at the bottom of both categories would mark a first for the franchise in the Super Bowl era.
Cunningham played 349 snaps this season and started nearly half of the way, doing so despite being picked at No. 254 this year.
It didn’t take long for former Redskins safety D.J. Swearinger to find a new suitor. Less than a day after being released by Washington, the veteran defender announced he was joining the Cardinals in a post on Instagram. 
The Cardinals had priority for waiver claims and didn’t want to take the chance on the South Carolina product being tabbed by another team.
In the post, Swearinger addressed his release from the Redskins after he criticized defensive coordinator Greg Manusky’s playcalling in a loss at Tennessee.
“I Gave That Organization My Heart And Soul And They Spit In My Face For Giving My Opinion Only To Better The Team!! Right Wrong Or Indifferent I’ve Found My Peace And Learned From It And I Am So Excited To Go Back To The Sunny Desert Arizona Like I Never Left!”
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden addressed Swearinger’s release by saying:
“We made it pretty clear that we try to keep our business within these walls,” Gruden said, “and we’ve had many a talk before about that and unfortunately he chose to go to the media again and talk about his displeasure with some of the calls. I know Coach Manusky works extremely hard, as does the rest of the staff, to put together a game plan, and unfortunately we didn’t get it done.”
By joining the Cardinals, Swearinger returns to Arizona where he spent parts of two seasons before joining Washington. In 2016, the defender impressed with 64 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks, earning him a three-year, $13.5MM deal with the Redskins. The Redskins will save $4.5MM off their 2019 salary cap with the move, and the Cardinals will be responsible for paying his $176K paycheck for Week 17.
As the season has gone on, it’s become clear that Steve Wilks faces increasingly long odds of being retained by the Cardinals for a second season. Wilks drew rave reviews during his one season as Panthers defensive coordinator, but Arizona’s season has been disastrous right from the get-go, and it was reported by Adam Schefter yesterday that the team was planning to move on. Larry Fitzgerald and other players have expressed support for the embattled coach, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be enough. In an interesting piece, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN recently took a look at the arguments both for and against firing Wilks.
We learned yesterday that former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was already “receiving overtures from NFL teams considering head-coaching changes.” Well, it sounds like the 55-year-old may have his eye on one potential gig. Peter King writes that McCarthy would be “interested in exploring” the Cardinals head coaching job. The reporter adds that there’s mutual interest from the organization.
It doesn’t sound like current Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks for be sticking around for a second season. We heard yesterday that the organization was planning on firing Wilks, although the current head coach has the support of his players, including veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald. It also sounds like owner Michael Bidwill hasn’t made a final decision regarding a head coaching change. At the very least, the coaching staff is expected to see some major changes.
There were previous whispers that McCarthy might have interest in the Arizona job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote yesterday that many Packers coaches thought McCarthy was going to leave Green Bay for the Cardinals gig last offseason. The Browns have also been rumored as a potential landing spot for the coach. McCarthy hasn’t made a decision on whether he’ll return to the NFL in 2019, but it sounds like he’d be interested if the right opportunity presented itself.
McCarthy was fired by the Packers earlier this month after guiding the Packers to an underwhelming 4-7-1 record. The head coach finished his tenure in Green Bay with a 125-77-2 record, including eight campaigns with at least 10 wins. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have only made the playoffs four times in the past 20 seasons.
It sounds like Mike McCarthy will be a popular name among teams looking for a new head coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the former Packers coach “already is receiving overtures from NFL teams considering head-coaching changes.”
However, it’s uncertain if McCarthy is eager to immediately return to the NFL. As Schefter notes, the 55-year-old will still be paid for the year remaining on his Green Bay contract. If McCarthy determines that there isn’t a good fit, he could easily take a year off without compromising his future job prospects. Shortly after he was fired, we heard that McCarthy still wanted to coach in 2019, but subsequent reports indicated that that might not be the case.
Schefter notes that one potential landing spot could be Cleveland, where McCarthy would have the opportunity to team up with three of his former colleagues: John Dorsey, Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf. Schefter also writes that many Packers coaches thought McCarthy was going to leave Green Bay for the Cardinals gig last offseason. For what it’s worth, the Cardinals are expected to fire head coach Steve Wilks at the end of the season.
After 12-plus seasons in Green Bay, McCarthy was fired in early December after guiding the Packers to an underwhelming 4-7-1 record. The head coach finished his Green Bay tenure with a 125-77-2 record, including eight campaigns with at least 10 wins. However, McCarthy only compiled a 10-8 postseason record, and the record doesn’t look nearly as encouraging when you take out the team’s 4-0 record during their 2010 Super Bowl-winning campaign.
It has been rumored for some time now, but the Cardinals are indeed expected to fire head coach Steve Wilks at the end of the season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Wilks was one of the hottest names on the head coaching circuit last year, but his first — and presumably last — season as Arizona’s HC has been a disaster, and the club is planning to move on.
The Cardinals have limped to a 3-11 record this season, and as is the case with many struggling teams, they have had to deal with a fair amount of turmoil this year (from offensive coordinator Mike McCoy‘s firing to Patrick Peterson‘s trade request). Arizona’s defense has graded out as an average unit per Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric — and to give credit to Wilks, defense is his specialty — but the club’s offense has been abysmal, and the team’s performance overall has not inspired much hope that things will get better anytime soon.
For what it’s worth, though, Wilks does appear to have the support of his team. Cardinals legend and surefire Hall-of-Famer Larry Fitzgerald may not even be with Arizona next season, but he told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that he and all of his teammates would want Wilks to return. Fitzgerald said, “[w]e all would want him back. I love Wilks. Great dude. We all play hard for him. That’s the team — not me alone — speaking on it.”
Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com agrees with Fitzgerald, tweeting that Arizona coaches and players think Wilks should get a chance to come back in 2019.
And in the piece linked above, Rapoport suggests that owner Michael Bidwill has not made a firm decision one way or another. If he does bring Wilks back, however, Wilks would be expected to make significant staff changes, which he would be willing to do. Since Wilks was the last head coach to be hired this year, there were fewer viable assistants to choose from.
Of course, GM Steve Keim‘s job also remains in jeopardy.