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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

West Rumors: Chiefs, 49ers, Hoyer

October 2nd, 2017 at 9:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif exited Monday night’s game in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury. Tests on Tuesday morning will determine the extent of the injury and the team is hopeful that it is an MCL injury and not an ACL tear, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.

The Chiefs and Duvernay-Tardif agreed to a five-year, $41.25MM extension in the offseason, making him one of the league’s highest-paid interior linemen. Losing him for a lengthy period of time would be a setback for KC.

Here’s more from the West divisions:

  • 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says he not given any consideration to a quarterback change, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. For now, the Niners are sticking with Brian Hoyer, but it sounds like Shanahan will not hesitate to yank him if he feels it would benefit the team. “I think he needs to play better,” Shanahan said of Hoyer. “And I think we can play better around him. … When you have the time and you have guys open, you need to hit them. I thought he struggled with that at times (Sunday). I know he can do better. But I also know when he did make throws, guys weren’t great at catching them for him, either.” If Hoyer gets the hook, rookie C.J. Beathard will get a chance to show what he can do.
  • The Rams will add Mike Thomas to the roster and go to seven wide receivers when he returns from suspension this week, coach Sean McVay said (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com). Thomas was hit with the ban in July for PED use.
  • Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries is still out with an MCL injury and coach Bruce Arians doesn’t expect to see him back until two weeks from now, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.

Cardinals To Promote LB Scooby Wright

October 2nd, 2017 at 3:37pm CST by Zachary Links

In the wake of Markus Golden‘s ACL tear, the Cardinals are calling up fellow edge rusher Scooby Wright from the practice squad, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). In related moves, the Cardinals have signed guard/tackle Earl Watford, released guard/tackle Vinston Painter, and released wide receiver Aaron Dobson, linebacker Alani Fua, and defensive end Ed Stinson from IR. Scooby Wright (vertical)

[RELATED: Markus Golden Done For Year]

Wright, 23, missed the Cardinals’ final cut in September but signed on with the practice squad the following day. Since then, he has been cycled through the NFL’s usual process for fringe players (promoted, cut, re-signed to practice squad, repeat). Through four weeks, he has dressed for three games.

Wright has yet to make a major impact at the NFL level, but he is well known in the area for his work at the University of Arizona. In 2014, Wright tallied an eye-popping 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries in 2015 and his draft stock suffered as a result. The Browns took him with one of the final picks in the draft, but he found his way to the Cardinals late last year.

Cards LB Markus Golden Tears ACL

October 2nd, 2017 at 1:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Cardinals edge rusher Markus Golden is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Although an initial report said Golden may miss merely a month with an MCL injury, the franchise feared this scenario. This malady stands to sideline the third-year edge defender for the rest of the season."<strong

Golden, 26, erupted with 12.5 sacks a season ago while playing on nearly 90% of Arizona’s defensive snaps. He hadn’t been quite as productive on 231 snaps in 2017, however, as the former second-round pick had yet to register a quarterback takedown and graded as a bottom-10 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus. Golden, a Missouri product, is signed through the 2018 campaign.

Kareem Martin replaced Golden in the Cardinals’ overtime victory against the 49ers on Sunday, but Arizona will likely need to add another outside linebacker going forward. The club has three candidates — Bryson Albright, Obum Gwacham, and Earl Okine — for promotion on its practice squad, and the Cards could also look to the free agent market. Mario Williams, Trent Cole, and Akeem Ayers are among the best available edge rushers, while Arizona has experience with fellow unsigned veterans Dwight Freeney and Sio Moore.

Alternatively, the Cardinals could sign an inside ‘backer such as Philip Wheeler (who has bounced on and off the Arizona roster this season), and play first-round rookie Haason Reddick on the edge, as Jurecki tweets. Deone Bucannon‘s impending return also gives the Cards more options at linebacker.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/17

September 30th, 2017 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • The Cardinals officially placed Mike Iupati on IR, sidelining the guard for at least eight weeks, and they filled his spot by promoting offensive lineman Vinston Painter from the practice squad. A 2013 draft pick, Painter’s bounced around. He saw action as a backup/special-teamer for the 2014 Browns and 2016 Redskins. The Cardinals added the swing lineman to their practice squad earlier this season.
  • Linebacker Thurston Armbrister will move from the Lions‘ practice squad back to their 53-man roster, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports. Detroit placed offensive lineman Zac Kerin on IR. Kerin joins Joe Dahl among Lions offensive linemen to be IR-bound this week. The Lions also placed tackle Corey Robinson on IR earlier this season. A third-year veteran, Armbrister played in 14 games — starting two — for the Lions last season after seeing action in all 16 games for the 2015 Jaguars.

Jared Veldheer Wants To Return In 2018

September 30th, 2017 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Cardinals are not receiving Jared Veldheer‘s best work thus far this season. The team’s move of the veteran left tackle to the right side has not gone well, and Veldheer might be playing in his final Arizona season. While Veldheer took a day away from the team to consider leaving football earlier this year, Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com notes (on Twitter) the veteran lineman would like to return in 2018. However, Jurecki does not expect him to stay with the Cardinals. Veldheer’s in the fourth season of a five-year, $35MM deal — one that includes a $10.25MM cap hold for 2018. He profiles as a cap casualty at this point.

Cardinals To Place Mike Iupati On IR

September 29th, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals will place Mike Iupati on IR because of bone spurs in the starting guard’s elbow, Bruce Arians said (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, on Twitter).

Iupati has been out since Week 1 with this malady but will miss extensive time now, and this could end his season. The 30-year-old left guard will miss at least eight more weeks as a result of this decision. Iupati will undergo surgery to address this problem, and the Cardinals are short on guards right now. And offensive line is reeling.

Arians added Alex Boone will miss “a couple weeks” with a chest injury suffered Monday night. Arians, via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter), didn’t seem to point to left tackle D.J. Humphries playing Sunday either.

The Iupati decision also complicates matters for the Cardinals regarding how they will manage their roster this season.

David Johnson already resides on IR with a wrist injury, and although it could be December before he’s ready to come back, the All-Pro running back profiles as an obvious IR-return candidate — especially if the team is contending for a playoff spot. As of now, Iupati would stand to occupy Arizona’s other IR-boomerang slot, but given that the Cards haven’t played their fourth game, it would be too early to proclaim their IR-return decisions set.

However, Iupati and Johnson profile as key players who would fit the bill over just about anyone else who would venture onto IR with an injury that could heal in time for late-season contributions. A four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro with the 49ers, Iupati signed with the Cardinals last year and played 15 games. This will mark the first season he’s played fewer than 12. And in six of Iupati’s seven full NFL seasons, he’s suited up and started at least 13 games.

John Wetzel and rookie Will Holden would be options to replace Humphries at tackle, while rookie Dorian Johnson is an option be promoted from the practice squad. Arians said a roster move will be made to address the depth up front.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/27/17

September 27th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • LSs Andrew East and Anthony Kukwa (link)

Washington Redskins

Keim: Alex Boone Has Injured Pectoral Muscle

September 26th, 2017 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine
  • Cardinals general manager Steve Keim told 98.7FM in Arizona that offensive guard Alex Boone has an injured pectoral muscle (via Kent Somers of AZCentral.com on Twitter). The veteran had an MRI today, and the team is hopeful that he can play through it. After refusing to take a pay cut from the Vikings, the 30-year-old ultimately joined Arizona this offseason, and he’s started two of the team’s first three games.

    [SOURCE LINK]

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/26/17

September 26th, 2017 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: LB Tre’von Johnson

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2017 Record

September 26th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.

Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Browns enjoyed top priority thanks to their 1-15 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week (Twitter links via Field Yates of ESPN.com):

T-1. Bengals

T-1. Browns

T-1. 49ers

4. Giants

5. Chargers

6. Colts

T-7. Texans

T-7. Seahawks

9. Cardinals

10. Jets

11. Saints

12. Bears

13. Dolphins

14. Buccaneers

15. Ravens

T-16. Panthers

T-16. Cowboys

T-16. Rams

T-16. Steelers

T-20. Broncos

T-20. Lions

T-20. Packers

23. Vikings

T-24. Bills

T-24. Jaguars

T-24. Patriots

T-24. Raiders

T-24. Eagles

T-24. Titans

30. Redskins

31. Chiefs

32. Falcons

 

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