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Cardinals Hope To Re-Sign DL Zach Allen

November 23rd, 2022 at 10:35am CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals have already doled out a franchise-record contract to their first pick in the 2019 draft — Kyler Murray — and it would seem the second of Arizona’s picks that year (cornerback Byron Murphy) is on the radar for a new deal. While the team already cut ties with the other second-rounder from Kliff Kingsbury‘s first draft — wideout Andy Isabella — it has highlighted another 2019 draftee for a possible re-up.

Arizona would like to retain Zach Allen on a second contract, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. The former third-round pick is having his best season and might not make it to free agency. Though, money will be a rather notable notable part of that timeline.

[RELATED: Cardinals Seeking Long-Term Deal With Marquise Brown]

A defensive end in Vance Joseph‘s 3-4 scheme, Allen has already matched his career-best mark for quarterback hits (14) through 11 games. Teaming with a healthy J.J. Watt, Allen has recorded 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Allen’s six pass deflections — also a career-high number — lead all defensive linemen this season. Pro Football Focus rates Allen 23rd among interior D-linemen.

While it is uncertain how the Cardinals will proceed with Watt, whose $28MM contract expires at season’s end, Allen is a logical candidate to retain due to his age (25) and improved production. If Watt’s deal comes off the books, the Cardinals will not have any notable payments due to defensive linemen come 2023.

It will be interesting to see how the Kingsbury’s status plays into the Arizona futures of Allen and Murphy. While GM Steve Keim has not come up in firing rumors, his standing would also affect how the Cardinals arrange pieces for the future as well. Kingsbury being canned would also stand to impact the Cardinals’ defensive scheme, with Joseph tied to the fourth-year HC. Without factoring these issues into the equation, the Cards have Allen identified as a cornerstone player.

The Cardinals have Allen, Murphy and Watt as high-profile free agents in 2023. While Watt is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, he has encountered steady health issues during the second half of his career. Watt remaining healthy this season also figures to create a nice market for a fourth contract come March, even though the three-time Defensive Player of the Year will be 34 next season. The Cards also have three offensive line starters whose contracts are up after 2022.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/22

November 22nd, 2022 at 6:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Bengals both designated Prince for return from IR and activated him Monday. This marks the second time this year the defending AFC champions have used one of their injury activations on a player only to waive him a day later. This first happened with Kareem, who then moved to the Bengals’ practice squad ahead of this Colts poaching. A former Dolphins sixth-rounder, Prince played in 15 Bengals games last season and started four. He has not played this year. It will be somewhat interesting if the Bengals keep Prince via a P-squad agreement, provided no waiver claims emerge.

Eifler, Rhattigan and Shudak have three weeks from Tuesday to be activated. The Seahawks, Titans and Commanders had seen their number of activation-eligible players pile up in recent weeks. Each of these teams have five injury activations remaining.

The Titans waived Week 11 kicker fill-in Josh Lambo on Monday. Primary Tennessee kicker Randy Bullock missed the game but is not on IR. Bullock suffered a calf injury during pregame warmups in Week 10. Shudak, a rookie UDFA out of Iowa who has spent the season on the Titans’ reserve/PUP list, would stand to represent insurance this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/22

November 21st, 2022 at 6:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, T D.J. Humphries Out For Week 11

November 21st, 2022 at 10:52am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 21: Confirming previous reports, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets that McCoy will “definitively” get the nod once again tonight. She adds that Murray was never truly in consideration to suit up against the 49ers, but that the Cardinals publicly kept his availability in the air to avoid tipping their hand in the lead-up to the contest.

This will be the second straight absence for Murray, but he may remain sidelined for even longer. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Cardinals may very well rest their starter next week against the Chargers, allowing him to return after their Week 13 bye (Twitter link). Much could depend on the team’s performance during the next two contests as Arizona looks to get back into playoff contention.

NOVEMBER 20: This season has not gone according to plan for the Cardinals, who were 8-2 at this point last season. Things can turn towards a more positive direction with a win over their division opponent, the 49ers, tomorrow night. Unfortunately, they will be attempting to do that without their starting left tackle and potentially without their star quarterback.

Starting left tackle D.J. Humphries has been ruled out for the second-straight game as he continues to deal with back issues, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. Arizona has quite a few options to replace the veteran on the blindside as they’ve been filling injury-caused holes in their offensive line all year. Starting center Rodney Hudson and starting right guard Will Hernandez are on IR while several others have missed games here and there. Josh Jones, Rashaad Coward, Lecitus Smith, and Cody Ford have all gotten opportunities to fill in with starts. Jones, Coward, and Ford will likely be the ones vying for the left tackle spot as Smith has been at the right guard position in place of Hernandez.

Quarterback Kyler Murray has been limited in practice all week while dealing with a hamstring injury. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told the media that Murray is “progressing” with his injury and has “come a long way,” according to Weinfuss. Murray will reportedly be a gametime decision for tomorrow night’s game in Mexico City.

If Murray is unable to go, the Cardinals will have Colt McCoy behind center for the second-straight game. McCoy led the team to a win against another division-rival last week when the Cardinals beat the John Wolford-led Rams. While McCoy will technically be facing another backup quarterback tomorrow, Jimmy Garoppolo is a much more capable starting quarterback than Wolford. There were worries that the team would have to turn to third-string quarterback Trace McSorley as McCoy dealt with a knee injury, but after full participation in practice on Friday and Saturday, McCoy should be good to go.

At 4-6, the Cardinals have only one fewer win than the 49ers. A win tomorrow night could be a huge step towards passing San Francisco in the division standings and working towards the NFC’s final Wild Card spot. They’ll be attempting to do so without Humphries, and we’ll find out Murray’s status tomorrow.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/22

November 19th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The league’s minor moves leading up to gameday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed to active roster: TE Nick Muse
  • Promoted from practice squad: CB Tay Gowan
  • Waived: OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Injury Updates: Dobbins, Allen, Cardinals

November 17th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Ben Levine

J.K. Dobbins sat out the first two games of the season, started for four weeks, and then landed on injured reserve. When Dobbins was knocked out by knee surgery in mid-October, it was thought that the Ravens running back had suffered another knee injury. However, the second-year pro made it clear that the surgery was precautionary and intended to remedy lingering effects from his earlier surgery.

“I didn’t get reinjured,” Dobbins told WBJ in Baltimore (via NFL Network’s Mike Giardi on Twitter). “I didn’t hurt myself or anything. I just didn’t feel like myself… there was some stuff in my knee that was making me not feel like myself. It wasn’t bad, I could have still played … but I’d rather be 100 percent going into the playoffs towards the end of the year so I could really do what I really need to do to help the team win.”

Following a rookie campaign that saw him finish with more than 900 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, Dobbins collected 162 yards and two touchdowns this season before landing on injured reserve. As Gus Edwards continues to nurse a hamstring injury, the Ravens have leaned on Kenyan Drake to lead the RB room.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • While it sounds like Josh Allen won’t be forced to miss any time with his elbow injury, the Bills quarterback will be on a strict recovery plan for the foreseeable future. Allen told reporters that Buffalo’s training staff has him “on a specific plan that we’ll follow,” and CBS’s Jonathan Jones assumes that the quarterback will continue to be limited in practice going forward (Twitter link). Allen did acknowledge that his right elbow will eventually get back to normal, so there shouldn’t be any lingering concerns about his outlook moving forward.
  • Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said he originally injured his hamstring in Week 8 against the Vikings, played through the injury, and then tweaked his hamstring in Week 9, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Twitter. Colt McCoy got the start for Arizona in Week 10, and while Murray acknowledged that he’s feeling better, he’s still unsure of his status for Monday night’s game against the 49ers.
  • Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. While we don’t know any specifics surrounding the injury, coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters that the veteran will undergo surgery (per Weinfuss on Twitter). Ertz totaled 406 yards and four touchdowns on 47 receptions in 2022 before getting sidelined. The veteran inked a three-year, $31.65MM contract with the Cardinals this past offseason.
  • Leonard Fournette suffered a hip pointer last weekend, but the Buccaneers running back isn’t expected to miss any time following the team’s Week 11 bye, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Rookie Rachaad White got an extended look filling in for Fournette, finishing with 22 carries for 105 yards.
  • Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker told reporters that he’s still dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Week 1 that forced him to miss four games. “I’m not at 100%, no,” the veteran said (via Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star). “I mean, if I was at 100%, I’d be doing full steps on my kickoffs or going back to the 10 yards and everything.” Butker has struggled in the five games he’s played in 2022, connecting on only 62.5 percent of his field goal attempts. He’s also missed a pair of extra point tries over the past two weeks.

Coaching Rumors: Colts, Broncos, Reich

November 17th, 2022 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jeff Saturday is now overseeing a staff full of Frank Reich assistants, but the surprising Colts HC hire is not currently looking to add any new personnel to his staff for this audition. Rumors of Jim Irsay‘s Saturday hire frustrating current Colts staffers surfaced last week, and while Saturday bucking the recent trend by seeing his interim tag turn into a full-time post would likely mean a host of new assistants in 2023, Reich’s group will be the one in place for the rest of this season.

“I like the group; I like the support they give each other. They’re in clearly defined roles,” Saturday said. “And I’m happy with where they are. Bringing somebody in, trying to learn an entire process or how we’ve done things? I like where the guys are, so I don’t anticipate that. I’m not guaranteeing it, but in my head I haven’t even had a chance to get that far. I’m just trying to get Week 2 under my belt.”

Saturday stopping short of shutting down the prospect of outside staffers coming in is interesting, but considering how off the board his hire was, it would not surprise to see the new Colts HC consider bringing in some staffers while he is in charge. Here is the latest from the coaching scene:

  • Scott Milanovich confirmed recent reports he turned down an opportunity to be the Colts’ play-caller. The veteran assistant, who is in his second season as Indianapolis’ quarterbacks coach, said (via The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, on Twitter) “Ultimately, it just wasn’t the right situation, I don’t think, for me at the time and the and the team.” Milanovich called plays in the CFL and as an interim OC with the Jaguars four years ago. Both he and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery are set to be involved with game-planning going forward, but assistant QBs coach Parks Frazier will be the voice in Matt Ryan‘s helmet going forward.
  • The OC Milanovich succeeded in Jacksonville in 2018, Nathaniel Hackett continues to oversee a disappointing Broncos season. After picking up a win in London, Denver reverted to its pattern of sluggish second halves in Tennessee. Although injuries have steadily depleted Hackett’s offense, the unit is averaging a league-low 14.6 points per game and also struggled when more of its starters were healthy. Some of George Paton‘s peers are advocating for the second-year GM to be proactive with this coaching situation, per Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, to better ensure he will stay on the job. Hackett hit the one-and-done radar stunningly early, but Paton’s status has not come up as much. Like Hackett, Paton was hired before the team’s new ownership arrived. While Paton has fared well in key aspects since taking the job in 2021, the Hackett-Russell Wilson partnership not working out has undoubtedly affected his perception.
  • Nick Sirianni spent three seasons as the Colts’ OC and worked with Frank Reich with the Chargers as well. The current Eagles HC did not shoot down the idea of Reich joining Philly’s staff, likely in a consultant-type role, via EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. This would not only make sense for Sirianni, but Reich had a rather notable Eagles stay previously, being the OC on staff during the Birds’ Super Bowl LII-winning campaign.
  • Former Cardinals running backs coach James Saxon pleaded guilty to a domestic battery charge stemming from a May incident, according to ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, who adds the longtime NFL staffer received a suspended one-year prison sentence. An Indiana judge instead gave Saxon, 56, one year of probation. The Cardinals placed Saxon on administrative leave in August; he resigned from the team last month. Saxon, who was on Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff since 2019, spent 23 years as an NFL assistant.

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.

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