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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Blaine Gabbert To Remain Cardinals’ QB

November 27th, 2017 at 1:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Blaine Gabbert‘s two-game performance has earned him a promotion. Bruce Arians confirmed Monday the previous third-string quarterback has leapfrogged Drew Stanton on the depth chart.

Arians said (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, on Twitter) Gabbert will be the starter and Stanton the backup going forward. Carson Palmer is not expected to return this season.

Stanton suffered a knee sprain that sidelined him and let Gabbert into the lineup the past two weeks, and the former first-round pick led the Cardinals to an upset win over the AFC South-leading Jaguars on Sunday. Gabbert’s thrown for 498 yards and five touchdown passes, while completing 61 percent of his passes, in the two games he’s started.

With Palmer having not committed to a 2018 return, Arians said considering how Gabbert’s playing right now he would feel “very confident” in starting him next season if that came to pass, per Urban (via Twitter).

Stanton counts $4.15MM against Arizona’s cap this season. Gabbert is making less than $1MM. Both players’ contracts expire after this season.

Bucannon Injured in Win

November 26th, 2017 at 10:08pm CST by GregGoldstein
  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians confirmed that linebacker Deone Bucannon has injured right leg, says Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. While the news is concerning on its own, there is added negativity because it’s the same leg that Bucannon had surgery on during offseason, which forced him to miss the first three games of the year. It’s not known just how long it’s expected to keep the 25-year-old out, but the team does have three reserves in Josh Bynes, Scooby Wright and Bryson Albright to take those snaps should the injury force Bucannon to miss time.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/17

November 22nd, 2017 at 6:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Cardinals’ Johnson, Palmer Done For Season

November 22nd, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals were hoping to get at least one of David Johnson or Carson Palmer back before the end of the season. On Wednesday, coach Bruce Arians announced that a return to action is unlikely for both players. In fact, no one on Arizona’s IR has progressed all that much in rehab, Arians says, and that group includes rookie running back T.J. Logan."<strong

At 4-6, the Cardinals’ odds of making the playoffs are not all that strong, but it will be even tougher to sneak in without two of their most important offensive players. The odds calculator at Football Outsiders gives the Cardinals just a 0.4% chance of reaching the postseason.

Johnson was among the league’s best offensive players last year with more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. The Cardinals swung a surprising trade for Adrian Peterson before the deadline, but the veteran has not been able to replicate his production.

Recently, Palmer expressed optimism that he could return at the very end of the season.

“I could potentially be available the last two weeks of the season,” Palmer said earlier this month. “Who knows? I don’t know where I’ll be (with rehab) at that point. I don’t know where we will be as a team at that point. I just try to be as ready as I can as quick as I can.”

The 37-year-old (38 in December) will probably weigh retirement this offseason. If he does decide to play, there is a contract in place for 2018.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/17

November 21st, 2017 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

  • Signed off Bills’ practice squad: OLB Eric Lee

Washington Redskins

  • Placed on IR: G Shaun Lauvao

Texans Claim RB Andre Ellington

November 21st, 2017 at 3:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have claimed Andre Ellington off waivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Cardinals released the running back on Monday, giving the league’s other 31 teams a chance to snag him.Andre Ellington (vertical)

Ellington will help provide depth to a badly depleted group in Houston. Rookie D’Onta Foreman landed on injured reserve this week with a torn Achilles, joining Tyler Ervin (knee). Meanwhile, Alfred Blue‘s status is unclear due to a lingering hamstring injury. Ellington will slot in as one of three fully healthy backs along with starter Lamar Miller and reserve Jordan Todman.

Ellington, cousin of Texans wide receiver Bruce Ellington, had just 15 carries for 53 yards before his release from Arizona. He did, however, have 33 receptions for 297 yards. He could prove to be a nice complement to Miller, even if he’s not as effective of a runner as he once was. In his first two NFL seasons, Ellington ran for 1,312 yards on 319 carries and caught 85 passes for 766 yards.

The 4-6 Texans were No. 8 in line to claim Ellington based on the inverse of the standings. This means the Browns, 49ers, Giants, Bears, Broncos, Colts, and Bengals all passed on claiming the 28-year-old.

Texans, Lions, Cardinals Liked Sheldon Day

November 21st, 2017 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, the 49ers used their high waiver priority to snag defensive tackle Sheldon Day. They weren’t the only team with interest in him, however. The Texans, Lions, and Cardinals also tried to claim him, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Sheldon Day (vertical)

It seems that several teams in the league have been keeping an eye on the former fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame. Day hasn’t done a whole lot in his one-and-a-half NFL seasons, notching just eleven tackles and two sacks. However, he led the Fighting Irish in quarterback pressures (13), tackles for a loss (15.5), and touchdown-saving tackles (9) in his final year on campus.

The Texans would have loved to get a good look at Day, particularly after losing defensive lineman J.J. Watt and backup Christian Covington for the season. Ditto for the Lions who are without defensive tackles Haloti Ngata and Jordan Hill plus defensive end Kerry Hyder. However, the 1-9 49ers beat them all to the punch in order to reunite Day with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

By assuming his rookie contract, the 49ers have gained contractual control of Day through the 2019 season. However, if he gets cut at some point between now and then, the Texans, Lions, and Cardinals will be among the teams to keep an eye on.

 

Cardinals Waive RB Andre Ellington

November 20th, 2017 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have waived running back Andre Ellington. Arizona has also signed running back Bronson Hill to its practice squad."<strong

Although Ellington is a vested veteran, he will be subject to waivers since we are past the trading deadline. He hasn’t had the role of a starter or looked the part of one in some time (he was inactive on Sunday, his final game with the Cardinals), but he could hold value for several teams looking to fortify their running situation. The Redskins, for example, might consider claiming him after losing Chris Thompson for the season. Ellington is not as explosive as Thompson, but he does have soft hands out of the backfield.

In eight games this year, Ellington had 15 carries for 53 yards – good for just 3.5 yards per attempt – and one touchdown. He made a bigger impact as a pass-catcher, hauling in 33 grabs for 297 yards Heading into the season, the Cardinals planned to line up Ellington exclusively as a receiver instead of at running back, though they backed down from that plan in June.

The 0-10 Browns will have top priority on the waiver wire, so they’ll have the first opportunity to add Ellington to the roster. The 49ers (1-9), Giants (2-8), Bears (3-7), Colts (3-7), and Broncos (3-7) will also be among the teams at the front of the line.

In September, the Cardinals planned to have David Johnson, T.J. Logan, and Ellington as their top three backs. Thanks to injuries and Ellington’s ineffectiveness, all three players are out of the equation.

Cardinals To Stick With Blaine Gabbert

November 20th, 2017 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links
  • Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says Blaine Gabbert will start again this week (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). The plan, he says, is to stick with him until Drew Stanton is totally healthy. Gabbert completed 22-of-34 of his passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, both occurring late in the game. He did a solid job overall, but the Cardinals wound up falling short and falling to 4-6 on the year.

Fitzgerald Dodges Questions About 2018

November 19th, 2017 at 10:04pm CST by GregGoldstein
  • Despite recently signing a contract extension for next season, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald continues to dodge questions about his future in the league, reports Kent Somers of AZCentral.com. “I’m only focused on Jacksonville,” Fitzgerald said of next week’s opponent. “We lost a tough one today. We’ve got a really, really, really good defense coming in at home this weekend and two good defenses following them (Rams, Titans). We’ve got to focus on that and that’s where all my attention is focused.” This can be expected from Fitz considering that he’s never been one to reveal much to the media, but it’s still notable because of the trying season Arizona is going through for the second straight year. The 34-year-old pass catcher can still clearly play and is putting up numbers to prove it, but football is a tough game and it remains to be seen what he will decide to do moving forward when he has no more games to look to after Week 17.
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