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Cards HC Kliff Kingsbury’s Seat Warming?

November 16th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Cardinals notched a one-sided win over the Rams — in a game that featured two backup quarterbacks — the team only improved to 4-6. Months after extending the Steve Keim–Kliff Kingsbury–Kyler Murray trio, the Cardinals have put together an underwhelming season.

Increased chatter has pointed to discord in the Cardinals organization, according to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora, who notes the Murray-Kingsbury relationship hovers at the center of this. This relationship has deteriorated to the point Kingsbury, despite signing an offseason extension, may not be a lock to finish the season.

Kingsbury’s offseason extension did not merely buy him an extra year or two; the Cardinals extended both he and Keim through 2027. Financial details of this deal are not known, and the Panthers’ Matt Rhule situation may be relevant in this case. The Panthers will be off the hook for the post-2022 portion of Rhule’s salary if/when he lands a college HC position. Talk around the league has pointed to the possibility of the Cardinals-Kingsbury partnership ending in similar fashion, La Canfora adds, with the former Texas Tech HC potentially a candidate to end up back in the college ranks.

One general manager informed La Canfora he would be surprised if Kingsbury finished the season with the Cards. Considering where this situation was this offseason, that would make for a borderline-shocking outcome. But Arizona has been unable to string together wins this season, with Kingsbury’s offense being a steady concern.

Kingsbury, 43, is 28-30-1 as Arizona’s HC. The Cardinals showed signs of dominance last season, when they started 10-2 despite losing Murray for a stretch. Colt McCoy, as he did Sunday, fared well in relief of the Pro Bowl signal-caller in 2021. But the Cards tailed off, finishing 11-6 and losing five of their past six — including a blowout wild-card loss to the Rams. That made the lengthy Kingsbury extension rather surprising, and this season has not rewarded ownership’s faith.

The Cards have submitted slow starts in most of their games this season, and although productive sequences have taken place this year — a Week 2 comeback over the Raiders, a 42-point performance against the Saints, and the McCoy-led Rams victory — questions came in regarding Kingsbury’s status as the team’s play-caller recently. Kingsbury said he would be open to ceding that responsibility, but he has continued to call plays in his fourth season at the helm. The Saints matchup also featured a Kingsbury-Murray shouting match.

Upon taking the Cards job in 2019 — not long after being fired at Texas Tech — Kingsbury advocated for Murray with the No. 1 overall pick. The Cardinals became the first franchise since the 1982-83 Baltimore Colts (Art Schlichter, John Elway) to select QBs in back-to-back first rounds, trading Josh Rosen during the 2019 draft. Murray has been an original-vote Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons, and the Cards reunited him with college teammate Marquise Brown this offseason. Of course, the Brown-DeAndre Hopkins duo playing together has been delayed due to Hopkins’ PED ban and Brown’s subsequent foot injury. That has undoubtedly hurt this Arizona attack, leading to the team’s Robbie Anderson trade. Murray has slipped to 22nd in QBR; he finished 14th and seventh in 2020 and ’21, respectively.

The Cardinals’ Week 10 win will buy Kingsbury more time, with JLC adding no change is imminent. But it appears Kingsbury will not be safe if the team continues on its current pace. This will obviously be a situation to monitor during the season’s second half.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/16/22

November 16th, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: T Hunter Thedford

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Cardinals Designate WR Marquise Brown For Return

November 16th, 2022 at 1:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cardinals should soon have a key member of their receiving corps back in the fold. Marquise Brown has been designated for return from IR, per a team announcement.

The move opens up Brown’s 21-day window to be activated. If he is not brought back onto the active roster within that timeframe, he will be ineligible to return for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, that seems highly unlikely to take place; head coach Kliff Kingsbury left open the possibility of Brown suiting up for Arizona’s upcoming Monday night game against San Francisco.

The 25-year-old suffered a foot injury one month ago. It was initially feared that it could have sidelined him for the remainder of the season, but further testing and consultation led to a much more positive prognosis of a four-to-six week recovery timeline. Returning in time for Week 11 would mark the short end of that scale, but it could provide a much-needed boost to the Cardinals’ passing attack.

Arizona began the year without DeAndre Hopkins due to his six-game PED suspension. By the time the three-time All-Pro was back on the field, though, Brown had went down with the injury. The Cardinals acquired Robbie Anderson from the Panthers around the time the latter was placed on IR, as they gave the disgruntled wideout a new home while attempting to replace Brown’s vertical speed.

Playing on the final year of his rookie contract, Brown began his first season in the desert with expectations to take on a No. 1 role in Hopkins’ absence. His arrival also came, of course, after his offseason trade request led to a draft-day trade which saw the Ravens ship him out for a first-round pick. He racked up 485 yards and three touchdowns on 43 catches upon being reunited with former college teammate Kyler Murray. The Oklahoma alum is in line to play on the fifth-year option next season.

With a number of high-end pass-catchers unavailable throughout the year, Arizona has fallen short of expectations through the air, ranking 16th in the league in passing yards per game. Pairing Hopkins and Brown will be especially critical moving forward, given that tight end Zach Ertz is out for the season with a knee injury. At 4-6 and in fourth in the NFC West, the Cardinals will hope Brown’s return will spur a late-season run.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/22

November 15th, 2022 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: DB Devon Key

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released: WR Kevin Kassis

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/22

November 15th, 2022 at 7:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Seattle Seahawks

Texans Claim RB Eno Benjamin

November 15th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Eno Benjamin did not make it past the top team in the current waiver hierarchy. The Texans submitted a claim for the former Cardinals running back, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

A former seventh-round pick, Benjamin served as James Conner‘s top backup in Arizona this season. The Cardinals’ decision to cut Benjamin caught the contributor by surprise, per ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter). He will now have another chance in Houston, which is taking on this rookie contract. That deal runs through 2023. The Chiefs and Seahawks attempted to claim Benjamin, according to GoPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer (on Twitter).

This move makes sense for Houston, which is still in the early stages of a lengthy rebuild. At 1-7-1, the Texans sit not only in pole position for next year’s No. 1 overall pick — though, it is early obviously — but they can win waiver battles by virtue of this record. The Texans have found a potential long-term starting back this year, in fourth-round rookie Dameon Pierce, but Benjamin can perhaps provide a complementary presence.

An Arizona State product, Benjamin did not play during his 2020 rookie slate but has seen action in the years since. The Cards turned to him to fill in for Conner during the recently re-signed starter’s injury hiatus. Benjamin has logged 70 carries for 299 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. The 5-foot-9 back has also contributed as an outlet receiver, catching 24 passes for 184 yards this season.

Since GM Nick Caserio‘s 2021 arrival, the Texans have cycled through a host of running backs. They added the likes of Rex Burkhead, Phillip Lindsay and Mark Ingram last year. Neither Lindsay nor Ingram finished the 2021 season with Houston, but the team extended Burkhead. This year, the Texans added Marlon Mack and Dare Ogunbowale to the mix. Mack did not make the team, but Pierce leapfrogged Houston’s veteran contingent and has launched an Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign.

Benjamin, 23, did not see his two quality Sun Devils seasons lead to much draft interest. He went 22nd in the 2020 draft. Still, he operated as a workhorse back at the Pac-12 program. Benjamin amassed 1,642 yards in 2018, ranking in the top five in Division I-FBS in rushing yards (fifth) and scrimmage yards (fourth, 1,905) as a sophomore. After another 1,000-yard slate as a junior, Benjamin followed the trend and bolted for the NFL rather than expose himself to another high-volume college workload. The Texans figure to still lean on Pierce (772 rushing yards; 4.7 per tote), but it will be somewhat interesting to see if Benjamin can carve out a role during the season’s second half.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz Out For Season

November 14th, 2022 at 3:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

3:36pm: In an unfortunate turn, further tests revealed that Ertz has suffered a season-ending knee injury (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). In addition to McBride and Anderson, the Cardinals have veteran Maxx Williams available on the practice squad. That trio will be hard-pressed to replicate Ertz’s production, as he now turns his attention to rehabbing for 2023.

8:56am: The Cardinals won yesterday’s battle of the backup QBs against the Rams, but lost a key member of their offense. Tight end Zach Ertz was carted off the field midway through the contest, and he is now facing a significant absence.

Ertz was seen wearing a knee brace after the game, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds that the veteran is expected to miss multiple weeks (Twitter link). The Cardinals do believe, on the other hand, that Ertz’s ACL is intact, which would mean the worst-case scenario has been avoided. More testing will be done today.

Ertz was dealt from the Eagles to the Cardinals last season as Philadelphia committed to Dallas Goedert as their top tight end. The 32-year-old thrived in his new environment, starting all 11 regular season games he played in, along with the team’s playoff loss. His production in the second half of the campaign – 56 catches for 574 yards and three touchdowns – made him a strong candidate for a new deal.

That came together in March, with Ertz inking a three-year, $31.65MM contract. The former second-rounder remained an important member of the Cardinals’ skill-position group early in the year, receiving at least 10 targets four times in the first six weeks while No. 1 wideout DeAndre Hopkins was suspended. In total, Ertz (who had yet to miss a game this year) has totaled 406 yards and four touchdowns on 47 receptions in 2022.

In his absence, rookie Trey McBride is likely in line for an increased workload. The second-rounder logged a 91% snap share yesterday, by far the highest such mark of the season. The Colorado State product has only made four catches on the season, so he is unlikely to command the attention Ertz did, especially with Hopkins now available. Veteran Stephen Anderson could also see more work offensively, after primarily playing on special teams.

Cardinals Release RB Eno Benjamin

November 14th, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

In a very surprising move, the Cardinals are moving on from a notable member of their backfield. Arizona has informed Eno Benjamin that he is being released (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The move is now official.

The 23-year-old had taken on a large role earlier in the season, with lead running back James Conner sidelined due to injury. Operating as the undisputed starter between Weeks 6 and 8, Benjamin totaled 151 rushing yards, showcasing his ability to serve as an effective compliment to a healthy Conner.

It also marked an increase in usage for the former seventh-rounder compared to his two previous years in the league. Benjamin did not see game action as a rookie, then received just 34 carries in 2021. Between the injuries to Conner and veteran backup Darrel Williams, though, Benjamin had logged a notable 43% snap share to date. Overall, he totaled 299 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 70 carries (4.3 yards per attempt), adding 184 yards on 24 catches.

Benjamin played just one offensive snap during yesterday’s win over the Rams, as Conner took on a workhorse load. Still, as noted by Schefter’s colleague Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter), the Arizona State alum is “surprised” by the decision to release him. Williams remains on IR, so this move leaves Arizona thin in the backfield.

Benjamin’s production while elevated to the lead role in particular should make him an intriguing add to any number of teams looking for depth at the RB spot. Nonetheless, the Cardinals currently sit 19th in the league with an average of 113 rushing yards per game, so a change aimed at increasing that total with Conner back to full health could be reasonable. By moving on from Benjamin, Arizona will see $895K in cap savings this year, and just over $1MM in 2023.

Kyler Murray Out For Week 10

November 13th, 2022 at 2:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

NOVEMBER 13: The Cardinals announced that Murray will be inactive today, so it will indeed be McCoy starting for the Cardinals. Stafford is also out for the Rams, who will turn to Wolford in a key divisional battle of the backups.

NOVEMBER 12: The Rams are likely to be without their starting signal-caller when they host the Cardinals tomorrow. Arizona could very well be in the same position, however; ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that Kyler Murray is in danger of missing the Week 10 matchup.

Murray is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, which, Fowler notes, he will test before the game. There is reportedly “skepticism” that he will be able to play, though. The 25-year-old is officially listed as questionable.

Murray entered the 2022 season, his fourth in the league, with significant expectations. Those were driven not only by his experience and draft status as a former No. 1 overall pick, but by his five-year, $230.5MM extension signed this offseason. That deal, in turn, came shortly after head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim were re-upped and briefly included a controversial study clause.

2022 has not gone according to plan for any member of that trio. The Cardinals sit at the bottom of the NFC West with a 3-6 record, ranking mid-pack in most offensive categories. The team’s struggles to find a rhythm prompted Kingsbury to admit last month that he could cede play-calling duties. A number of absences in the receiving corps – including DeAndre Hopkins‘ PED suspension, along with Marquise Brown‘s foot injury – have contributed to the middling production.

As for Murray himself, the Oklahoma alum sits at 12 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. His yards per attempt average (6.0) is a career-low, as is his rating of 86.9. With 359 yards and a pair of scores on the ground, he remains productive with his legs, of course, but inconsistency in the passing game has cast even more doubt on the Cardinals’ decision to make the high-priced commitment to him.

Assuming Murray is unable to suit up, the Cardinals will turn to Colt McCoy at quarterback. The veteran is in his second year in Arizona, and made three starts last season. While a matchup pitting McCoy against Rams backup John Wolford would be unexpected for both the teams and the league, it would not take away from its significance in a division which is up for grabs entering the second half of the campaign.

Cardinals Place C Rodney Hudson On IR, Sign K Tristan Vizcaino

November 13th, 2022 at 12:43pm CST by Rory Parks

The Cardinals have placed center Rodney Hudson on injured reserve, per a team announcement. Hudson has dealt with knee trouble since training camp, and while he played in the first four games of the season, he has been sidelined ever since.

It is fair to wonder whether this is the end of the line for Hudson, who reportedly contemplated retirement this offseason. In 2021, his first season with the Cardinals, he was one of Pro Football Focus’ worst-rated centers after years of high-level performance. Since he became a full-time starter in 2013, his third professional season, he had not registered a PFF grade below 71.0, but that number fell to 60.9 last season.

2021 also saw the typically-durable blocker miss five games due to rib and shoulder injuries, and combined with this year’s knee ailment, his health is clearly an increasing concern. He is under contract through 2023, though the Cardinals’ interior O-line has been hit hard by injury this year, and the club could seek to remake that unit this offseason.

Arizona first turned to Sean Harlow to replace Hudson, and then to former Bengals first-rounder Billy Price. Price never lived up to his draft status in Cincinnati, which is why he was available for the Cards to pluck him off the Raiders’ taxi squad in early October. While it appears he will continue operating at the pivot in the near-term, his performance has not improved. His dismal 38.6 overall grade, underscored by four penalties and four sacks allowed, is the second-worst mark in the league among players with enough snaps to qualify.

In other Cardinals news, the team signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to the active roster. Matt Prater, who has battled a hip injury this year, will miss Arizona’s Week 10 contest against the Rams. Vizcaino has made nine of his 10 career field goal tries, though he is just 12-for-17 on PATs.

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