Cardinals To Sign Cassius Marsh
The Seahawks signed DE Cassius Marsh in April with the idea that he could bolster the team’s pass rush, but he became expendable after Seattle traded for Jadeveon Clowney. Now, Marsh will join the third NFC West team of his career, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Marsh is set to sign with the Cardinals (Twitter link).
Marsh, 27, had 5.5 sacks and 14 QB hits for the 49ers last year. The former fourth-round pick of the Seahawks will join a pass rushing rotation that also includes Terrell Suggs and Chandler Jones.
The Cardinals didn’t do much right last year, but they did compile 49 sacks, and Marsh will serve as a worthwhile complement to the front seven.
Cardinals Reach 53-Man Max
Arizona has officially announced their cuts. Notably, the Cardinals trimmed their roster all the way down to 51 players, which they said was in preparation for waiver claims on Sunday. Arizona has first priority in the waiver order, so they’ll almost certainly be claiming some players.
The biggest name on this list is probably tight end Ricky Seals-Jones. He showed a lot of promise as an undrafted rookie in 2017, and was a favorite of Bruce Arians. He fell out of favor when Arians retired, and the new staff didn’t take as kindly to him. Seals-Jones has flashed serious potential, so he should land on his feet soon. Pharoh Cooper was a 2017 All-Pro selection for his return prowess, and the Cardinals claimed him off waivers from the Rams late last season. Three other teams also put in claims for Cooper at the time, so maybe one of them will scoop him up now. Receiver Chad Williams was the team’s third-round pick in 2017, but he barely got on the field during his two seasons in the desert.
QB Charles Kanoff
RB Wes Hills (injury settlement)
OL Rees Odhiambo (waived/injured)
OL Coleman Shelton
OL William Sweet (waived/injured)
OL Patrick Lawrence
OL Jacob Ohnesorge
S Jonathan Owens
S Tyler Sigler
Colts, Texans, Browns Lead NFL In Cap Space
On Tuesday morning, the NFL released a report of every team’s cap space. The total number accounts for the top-51 cap numbers on every team’s roster. Therefore, these numbers will naturally change before next week as teams set their 53-man rosters (although the 52nd- and 53rd-ranked cap numbers (and beyond) for each team will hardly change anything).
It’s also worth noting that there have been a handful of extensions, trades, signings, and cuts since this report was released. However, there weren’t any significant moves that would drastically alter these rankings.
Why are these numbers important at this time of year? Well, rosters will be trimmed on Saturday, meaning an influx of players will hit the open market. While we can’t imagine any roster casualties earning a lucrative contract from a new team, these numbers can help illustrate the monetary advantage one organization has over another. These numbers are also useful in regards to any potential trades or extensions.
With help from TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer on Twitter, we’ve listed the league’s cap space totals (as of Tuesday morning) below:
- Indianapolis Colts: $56.6MM
- Houston Texans: $37.0MM
- Cleveland Browns: $34.6MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $26.1MM
- Tennessee Titans: $26.0MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $25.5MM
- Buffalo Bills: $23.3MM
- Miami Dolphins: $22.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $22.1MM
- Washington Redskins: $21.7MM
- Detroit Lions: $21.5MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $21MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $19.7MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $19.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.6MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $18.2MM
- Oakland Raiders: $17.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $16.4MM
- Green Bay Packers: $15.2MM
- New York Jets: $14.9MM
- New England Patriots: $14.1MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $13.4MM
- New Orleans Saints $7.5MM
- Carolina Panthers $5.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams $5.6MM
- New York Giants $5.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers $4.9MM
- Minnesota Vikings $4.7MM
- Arizona Cardinals $4.7MM
- Denver Broncos $4.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4.3MM
- Atlanta Falcons $3.4MM
Cardinals Sign Clinton McDonald
The Cardinals have signed defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, according to a tweet from his agents. McDonald should help provide depth on the defensive line as the club prepares for a switch back to a 3-4 scheme.
[RELATED: Cardinals To Place WR Hakeem Butler On IR]
It’s a one-year, $1.25MM deal, according to Adam Caplan (on Twitter). The pact includes just $120K fully guaranteed with a base salary of $930K.
The Cardinals already added defensive tackle help with their trade for Bruce Hector, but they’re leaving no stone unturned, especially after cutting former first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche. The well-traveled McDonald, who spent time with the Seahawks, Bengals, Buccaneers, and Broncos before joining the Raiders last year, could fit the bill.
McDonald is perhaps best known for his work with the Seahawks in 2013 in their lead-up to the Super Bowl. In that season, McDonald compiled 35 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Cards Trade Korey Cunningham To Patriots
The Patriots are sending a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for offensive lineman Korey Cunningham, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Cunningham first broke the news himself, via Instagram.
“Arizona!! Man, it’s been a fun year and a half out in the desert!” Cunningham wrote. “Thank you to Mr. [Bidwill], Steve Keim, and the Cardinals organization for allowing me to start off my career here. Wish you guys nothing but the best of luck this season! With that being said, I was just notified that I have been traded to the New England Patriots. Beyond excited to continue my career and to get back to work!!”
Cunningham, a second-year pro, was set to serve as a backup tackle for the Cardinals after starting six games last season. Instead, the 2018 seventh-round pick will provide depth for the Patriots.
Given the Patriots’ need for offensive line support and the timing of the deal, Cunningham seems likely to make the 53-man roster as a swing tackle behind Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon. Dan Skipper and Cole Croston, meanwhile, could be on or near the bubble.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/19
It was a busy day in the NFL as teams made early cuts in advance of the 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/Injured: T Dieugot Joseph
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Jacob Ohnesorge
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Anthony Fish Smithson
Detroit Lions
- Released: QB David Fales
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: FB John Lovett
New England Patriots
- Waived/Injured: WR Maurice Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Hayes Pullard, S Jason Thompson
- Waived: LB Asantay Brown, S Tre Sullivan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: CB Jhavonte Dean
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Chris Campbell, RB Brandon Wilds, WR Nick Williams
- Waived: OL Willie Beavers, OL Dillon Day
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray, WR Kahlil Lewis
- Waived: WR Amara Darboh
- Placed on IR: DL Nazair Jones, CB Kalan Reed
Cardinals To Release DL Terrell McClain
Terrell McClain‘s bid to be part of the 2019 Cardinals did not last past the preseason. The Cards will release the veteran defensive lineman, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
A journeyman who spent 2018 with the Falcons, McClain signed with the Cardinals in May. The team, however, signed Clinton McDonald recently and traded for Bruce Hector last week. McClain joins Andre Branch in Cardinals front-seven pieces released in the past two days. Arizona also parted ways with former first-round lineman Robert Nkemdiche this summer.
The Cardinals used a third-round pick on defensive end Zach Allen and a seventh-rounder on end Michael Dogbe but return starters Rodney Gunter and Corey Peters. McClain, 31, was expected to be part of Arizona’s rotation up front. Hector and McDonald look to be new solution efforts for the Cardinals, who have added several depth pieces to their roster this offseason.
McClain played in 12 games for the Falcons last season but is better known for his three-year run with the Cowboys. He started 15 games for the 2016 Cowboys, who claimed the NFC’s No. 1 seed, before migrating to Washington for a 12-game stretch with the Redskins in 2017. The Cardinals would have been the former third-round pick’s seventh team.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: LB/DE Jeff Holland
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Kirk Barron
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Jhavonte Dean
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB Luis Perez, RB Justin Stockton
- Waived: WR Deontez Alexander
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: RB Lamar Miller, T David Steinmetz
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Micah Abernathy, S Jacob Thieneman
- Waived: S Matthias Farley
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OL Will Holden
New England Patriots
- Waived: RB Robert Martin
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: TE Garrett Griffin
New York Jets
- Signed: S Santos Ramirez
- Waived: CB Dee Delaney
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DB Jordan Holland
- Placed on IR: CB Tim Harris Jr.
Details On Crabtree Contract
- The Cardinals signed receiver Michael Crabtree a few days ago, and now we have the details on his contract. Crabtree got a one-year deal worth $3.25MM that can be upped to $5.5MM if he hits incentives, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Crabtree originally visited with the Cards weeks ago, but a potential deal was called off over a disagreement about compensation. Arizona reportedly offered him a one-year, $2.5MM deal the first time around, so they upped their offer by $750K in base value.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LB Hayes Pullard
- Placed on IR: S Josh Shaw
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: K Elliott Fry
- Waived: LB Nicholas Grigsby
Buffalo Bills
- Released with an injury settlement: OL Garrett McGhin
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Ravens: LB Nicholas Grigsby
- Signed: LB James Folston, CB Jocquez Kalili
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Christian DiLauro