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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

DB Notes: Baker, Gordon, Lions, Chinn

June 15th, 2023 at 12:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Budda Baker issued a trade request in February, though it did not become public until mid-April. The Pro Bowl safety remains with the Cardinals and attended the team’s minicamp this week. But the disgruntled defender did not participate in on-field work, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. This hold-in effort did involve some degree of participation, with Jonathan Gannon indicating Baker has texted with him regarding film and has been in contact with coaches.

“It was good to have him in the building today,” Gannon said (via Weinfuss), calling Baker’s situation “the business side of it.” “Smile on his face. He was asking a bunch of questions. I told the coaches, you better be on your toes cause he’s going to ask good questions. The dialogue has been great, and I’m ready to get [No.] 3 back out there.”

With the Cardinals rebuilding and unlikely to have Kyler Murray available to start the season, it would be interesting to see if they listened to offers for Baker. It also is understandable for Gannon to want the decorated safety back in the mix, given the talent the Cardinals lost on defense this offseason (J.J. Watt, Zach Allen, Byron Murphy, Markus Golden). Two years remain on Baker’s $14.75MM-per-year contract, which has paid out its guarantees.

Here is the latest DB news from around the NFL:

  • The Bears now have three second-round cornerbacks on their roster, adding Tyrique Stevenson to a mix that includes Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. A 2022 Round 2 choice, Gordon is now ticketed for a full-time slot role, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Washington product played both inside and outside last season, logging a 97% snap rate in the 14 games he played. Gordon intercepted three passes and forced a fumble as a rookie, though Pro Football Focus did not view his coverage work especially fondly, ranking the 6-foot defender 108th among qualified corners.
  • Will Harris moved from safety to slot corner with the Lions last year, but the team’s secondary overhaul included the additions of two hybrid players — C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Brian Branch. Both safeties have extensive slot experience, and Gardner-Johnson — despite leading the NFL with six interceptions last season as an Eagles safety — is expected to play plenty in the slot with the Lions. Harris should be expected to be a backup in 2023, per the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett, who notes the fifth-year defender should work as the top reserve on the outside and in the slot. A former third-round pick who re-signed on a one-year deal this offseason, Harris started 10 games last year.
  • Used as a linebacker and a safety over his first three seasons, Jeremy Chinn is set to stay on a versatile track in Carolina. The former Panthers second-rounder has worked as a nickel presence throughout the offseason, David Newton of ESPN.com notes. New Panthers secondary coach Jonathan Cooley said the staff has not fully pinned down Chinn’s role, which will make this run-up to a contract year interesting. The Panthers held off on trading Chinn last year, keeping him as part of a young defensive core.
  • Texans cornerback Steven Nelson hired a new agent recently, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who notes David Mulugheta is now representing the ninth-year defender. Nelson signed a two-year, $9MM deal with the Texans in 2022, but started all 15 games he played. Going into his age-30 season, the former Chiefs, Steelers and Eagles corner is running out of time to make another financial splash.
  • The Cardinals made tiny splashes in the secondary recently, adding corners Dylan Mabin and Bobby Price. Both will be on league-minimum deals, with GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer tweeting Price will earn $1.01MM (the minimum for a fourth-year player) while Mabin is at $870K (the basement for a player with one year of experience). With neither assured of a roster spot, no money here is guaranteed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/23

June 14th, 2023 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor roster moves across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Placed on IR: TE Zach Davidson

 

It’s unfortunate news for Davidson, who was hoping to make a push for a roster spot this offseason after signing a futures deal with the Bills after their postseason elimination last season. He won’t be eligible to be activated off of injured reserve for this season, either. He would have to be released with an injury settlement in order to be eligible to play this year.

Davenport started games for three different teams over the first five years of his career but hasn’t appeared in a game since 2021. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the veteran tackle is already drawing interest around the league.

DeAndre Hopkins Leaves Titans Without Deal

June 13th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Ben Levine

JUNE 13: Adding further to Howe’s Monday report of Hopkins’ Patriots visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that it will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. That two-day window will provide New England with an opportunity to outbid the Titans, and potentially convince the three-time All-Pro to avoid taking any further visits with interested teams. Plenty of attention will no doubt be paid to the Patriots’ actions in the coming days and their willingness to use their financial advantage relative to other Hopkins suitors.

JUNE 12: DeAndre Hopkins left his Titans visit without a deal. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter), “no deal was struck” between the free agent wideout and the Titans.

[RELATED: DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Patriots]

After “spending hours with the players and staff,” Hopkins left the Titans facility this evening. Thanks to Hopkins’ Instagram, we learned that the wideout apparently attended a concert at Nissan Stadium during his visit in Tennessee. His meeting “apparently went well,” per Russini, but the receiver intends to take more visits with teams before making a final decision.

Considering Tennessee was first on Hopkins’ free agency tour, it’s not shocking that he left Tennessee without a deal. It doesn’t sound like Hopkins has enough suitors to spark a true bidding war, at least one that could approach the $15MM salary that he’s seeking. The Titans were probably responsible with their financial offer to the receiver, and it would have required a significant pay day to get Hopkins’ signature this afternoon.

We learned last week that the Patriots were next on the list of Hopkins’ visits. Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the wideout is still planning to visit New England but the exact “logistics on the timing” are still being worked out. New England is currently sitting with almost twice as much effective cap space as Tennessee (per OverTheCap.com), and their financial advantage could come in handy if they’re only competing with the Titans for the free agent’s services.

If Hopkins does end up in New England, many assumed he’d take the roster spot from one of the team’s current receivers. ESPN’s Mike Reiss isn’t so sure. He notes that the organization has been bringing offseason signing JuJu Smith-Schuster along slowly, and sources tell the reporter that 2022 second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton is “managing a soft-tissue-related injury.” While a hypothetical Hopkins signing may still lead to one of the team’s notable WRs earning their walking papers during the preseason, it could at least buy someone like Kendrick Bourne or DeVante Parker some extra time to carve out a role.

Elsewhere, Hopkins’ former team may have a bit more financial wiggle room than we anticipated. Per veteran reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter), the Cardinals’ were left with $21.078MM in dead cap following Hopkins’ release. It was originally reported that the dead cap money was around $22.6MM.

Cardinals Work Out C Chase Roullier

June 12th, 2023 at 9:28pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals got a look at a veteran center today. The team worked out free agent offensive lineman Chase Roullier, per Matt Lombardo of Heavy.com (on Twitter). Darren Urban of the team’s website passed along the news (via Twitter).

After being limited to only 10 games with Washington over the past two years, Roullier watched as the Commanders added Nick Gates in free agency and Ricky Stromberg in the third round of the draft. Shortly thereafter, Roullier earned his walking papers, with the Commanders saving a significant chunk of the player’s upcoming $8.3MM (2023) and $8.7MM (2024) base salaries.

When healthy, Roullier was one of the most dependable centers in the NFL. After starting seven of his 13 appearances as a rookie, the former sixth-round pick started all 46 of his appearances between 2018 and 2020. In each of those three seasons, Pro Football Focus graded Roullier as an above-average center, culminating in him being ranked sixth (among 36 qualifiers) in 2020.

The center inked a four-year, $40.5MM contract with Washington prior to the 2021 campaign, and he appeared to take it to another level after signing the deal. Through eight starts, Roullier was graded as PFF’s fourth-best center, but a fractured fibula ended his season prematurely. The 29-year-old managed to return for the start of the 2022 campaign, but a torn MCL ended his season after only two games.

Hjalte Froholdt is the most experienced of the Cardinals’ current options at the center position. Lecitus Smith could be an option after appearing in 10 games (two starts) as a rookie, while fourth-round guard Jon Gaines could also swing over to the center spot if needed. None of those options can probably match the upside of Roullier, assuming full health.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/12/23

June 12th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

New England Patriots

The Cardinals are swapping out receivers. Brandon Smith spent a few years on the Cowboys practice squad before joining the XFL this past February. He ended up catching eight passes for 118 yards and one touchdown in four games with the D.C. Defenders. Auden Tate, meanwhile, spent four years with the Bengals before spending much of last season of the Eagles practice squad. He has 12 catches in 35 career games.

Justus Tavai was cut by the Patriots last week, but the brother of Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai is back on the roster. That will come at the expense of Tae Hayes‘ roster spot. The cornerback spent much of last season on New England’s practice squad, getting into a pair of games with the big-league team.

Cards LT D.J. Humphries Returns To Practice

June 11th, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries returned to the practice field for voluntary OTAs last week, per Darren Urban of the team’s official website. Humphries missed the second half of the 2022 season due to a back injury.

Humphries, a 2021 Pro Bowler, acknowledged that he “had to roll the dice a little bit” in electing to forego back surgery in favor of rehab. As of the time of this writing, he is not quite back to full strength, but he remains on track to suit up for Week 1 of the regular season.

Humphries’ shortened season was one of many difficulties that the Cardinals faced in 2022, and it was a disappointing setback for a player who dealt with significant injury issues in the early stages of his career but who had missed only one contest — a COVID-related absence — from 2019-21.

That newfound durability, along with generally solid play as Arizona’s blindside blocker, allowed Humphries to land multiple three-year contracts from the Cards. His current deal, which he signed last August and which was restructured in March, keeps him under club control through 2025.

Arizona did select Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the No. 6 pick of this year’s draft, and it is still rostering 2020 third-rounder Josh Jones, who played well at left tackle in Humphries’ absence last season. Nonetheless, Urban expects Humphries to reclaim the starting LT job, with Johnson beginning his professional career on the right side.

Even a rebuilding outfit like Arizona benefits from a quality left tackle, and assuming he can stay healthy, Humphries is exactly that. He also comes at a reasonable price, as he is due under $16MM per season over the 2024-25 seasons. Thanks to the above-referenced restructure, Humphries is earning just $5.5MM in base salary in 2023, though that is because a chunk of his salary was converted to a signing bonus for cap purposes.

Unless they were to make him a post-June 1 cut or trade next year, the Cardinals cannot now feasibly extricate themselves from Humphries’ contract until the end of the 2024 season. That suggests that the club, like the player himself, did not worry that the back injury would be a career-threatening one, and that Humphries could remain on the roster for the foreseeable future.

Arizona’s three-day mandatory minicamp begins on Tuesday, at which point we may have more clarity on the team’s plans with respect to Humphries and Johnson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/8/23

June 8th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Breon Borders has been hit with a two-game suspension, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). It’s uncertain what warranted the ban. Borders has seen time in 32 career games (six starts), compiling 42 tackles and one interception. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on the Bears practice squad, getting into one game with the big-league club.

The veteran cornerback just signed with the Falcons earlier this week. He’s expected to play a depth role behind A.J. Terrell, Jeff Okudah, and Mike Hughes.

Cardinals Re-Sign LS Aaron Brewer

June 6th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite an offseason regime change, the Cardinals look to have firm plans of Aaron Brewer coming back for an eighth season as their long snapper.

The veteran specialist re-signed with Arizona on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals waived long snapper Joe Fortunato. Brewer, an 11-year veteran who has been with the Cards since 2016, will still be expected to compete with rookie UDFA Matt Hembrough. But he is on track to continue his run with the NFC West franchise.

A pectoral injury ended Brewer’s 2022 season early, leading to an IR placement ahead of Arizona’s Week 17 game. Brewer has recovered from that ailment, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com notes. He will join Matt Prater among Cardinals specialists coming back under the Monti Ossenfort–Jonathan Gannon regime. Prater re-signed with the team in March.

This is Brewer’s fourth contract with the Cardinals. After being the long snapper for a Super Bowl-winning Broncos team in 2015, he signed a two-year Cardinals deal. Arizona later gave him a four-year pact. In 2022, Brewer signed a one-year deal. It should not be expected Brewer will see much more money on this agreement, as long snappers’ earnings are capped near the league minimum, but the Cardinals are offering the veteran snapper a chance to continue his career.

Only 2015 first-rounder D.J. Humphries has been with the Cardinals longer than Brewer, who joined the team in September 2016. The former Denver UDFA has snapped in 98 games with Arizona. Fortunato, who has one regular-season game (with the 2021 Packers) on his resume, signed a reserve/futures contract with the Cardinals in January. The team added Hembrough in May.

Colt McCoy Considered Retirement

June 5th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Kyler Murray likely to miss the start of the season, a Cardinals team that has shifted focus toward a rebuild may need to rely on a 14th-year veteran to run the show. Colt McCoy is going into his age-37 season, but he represents the most likely candidate to take the snaps for the Cardinals to start the year.

This expected opportunity comes after the longtime backup missed the final games of the 2022 season due to a concussion. Making his third start of last season, McCoy sustained the head injury in Week 15 and did not play again. The Cardinals cleared their backup from concussion protocol in Week 17, but McCoy experienced more symptoms during a practice soon after and finished the season out of action.

“That concussion was not bad physically. I know I was knocked out, I don’t want to [downplay it], but I recovered very quickly,” McCoy said, via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban. “Then I think there were some decisions made that were out of my hands. I was going to practice and I was going to play if I was allowed to play. It was just that way. I haven’t had any repercussions from the concussion. I feel good.”

McCoy also battled arm and calf issues last year, keying an IR stint, and entered the offseason dealing with an elbow ailment. Jonathan Gannon has confirmed McCoy is back to 100% after an early-offseason ramp-up period. One season remains on McCoy’s two-year, $7.5MM contract. While McCoy is expected to be a Week 1 starter for the first time since 2011, he considered calling it a career this offseason.

“There is always an evaluation process you go through,” McCoy said of his retirement consideration. “Opportunities to play in this league don’t grow on trees. I understand the situation we are in. I still want to play and I still feel confident I can play.

“In my mind, I don’t know if Kyler is going to be healthy or not. We all certainly hope that he is. If he is not, I will 100% be ready to go.”

The Cardinals finished last season with David Blough and Trace McSorley making starts in place of Murray and McCoy. Blough remains on Arizona’s roster, while McSorley signed with the Patriots. Arizona also signed Jeff Driskel and drafted Houston’s Clayton Tune in Round 5. Murray starting the season on the reserve/PUP list opens the door to the Cardinals carrying Tune and either Blough or Driskel on its season-opening roster. Once Murray is activated, a practice squad slot may well be opened for one of these two as well.

Michael Bidwill said earlier this offseason Murray would likely return early in the season. That statement came before free agency, when the likes of Zach Allen, Byron Murphy and Markus Golden moved off the Cards’ roster. DeAndre Hopkins is also now out of the picture. The team’s rebuilding mission — one that could include two high 2024 draft choices, partially due to the Cardinals collecting the Texans’ first-rounder in the Will Anderson Jr. trade — introduces a natural conflict with Murray’s recovery timetable. While it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals manage their well-paid starter this season, McCoy looms as the first option off the bench.

This will be McCoy’s third season with the Cardinals. The Texas alum helped the 2021 team secure a playoff berth, leading that Cards edition to two wins in his three starts for an injured Murray. McCoy completed 74.7% of his passes (at 7.5 yards a clip) in 2021. Those numbers fell to 68.2% and 5.9, respectively, as McCoy went 1-2 as a starter last year. The playoffs will not be an expectation for the ’23 Cards, but McCoy will be expected to play a notable role for Gannon’s first Arizona squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/5/23

June 5th, 2023 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR Ed Lee

Pittsburgh Steelers 

Seattle Seahawks

Borders worked out for the Falcons on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. This will be team No. 11 for Borders, who is moving toward Josh Johnson journeyman territory — at least for volume. A former Raiders UDFA, Borders played in one game last season — with the Bears — after a 12-game 2021 (in Chicago and Arizona). Borders’ most notable NFL stint came when he started five games for the eventual AFC South champion Titans in 2020. Borders has also caught on with Buffalo, Houston, Jacksonville, Washington, Pittsburgh and Miami.

A 2019 UDFA, Crockett had been with the Broncos since 2020. He served as backfield depth in Denver, but all of his playing time came in 2021 — mostly on special teams. Crockett’s career encountered a speedbump during training camp last year; the Missouri alum suffered a torn ACL.

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