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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Cardinals Move DL Walter Nolen To Reserve/PUP List

August 26th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

It will be a while before the Cardinals can see Walter Nolen in action. The calf injury that has kept the first-round pick on Arizona’s active/PUP list will now sideline him for at least four games.

Upon setting their 53-man roster, the Cardinals are transferring Nolen to the reserve/PUP list. Nolen’s injury occurred while training at the team facility, making the rookie eligible for the PUP list — as opposed to the NFI list, which is important for salary purposes. Nolen will be locked into his fully guaranteed salary on the PUP list.

The Cardinals effectively punted on their D-line in 2023, after J.J. Watt retired and Zach Allen joined the Broncos in free agency, but the team has steadily retooled there. After drafting Darius Robinson in the 2024 first round, the Cardinals signed Browns cap casualty Dalvin Tomlinson. Arizona then used the No. 16 overall pick on Nolen this year. A post-draft Calais Campbell reunion then commenced, forming an intriguing group up front. The Tomlinson and Campbell additions loom larger now, with Nolen set to be out until at least October.

Nolen racked up 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and three pass deflections at Ole Miss. Those totals helped earn him first-team All-SEC and All-American honors and cement his status as one of the top options in a deep defensive line class. While questions were raised early in the pre-draft process about his range, it was clear just before the opening round Nolen would likely not need to wait long to hear his name called. But he now will need to wait a bit before debuting.

The Cardinals, who also added Josh Sweat in free agency, have overhauled their pass rush in the past two offseasons. They will have a more formidable front seven, thanks to the bevy of additions this year, but the full group working together — in what is likely Campbell’s final season — is on hold.

Cardinals Waive QB Clayton Tune, 11 Others

August 25th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cardinals took a step towards finalizing their 53-man roster on Monday by waiving 12 players including quarterback Clayton Tune, per a team announcement.

Tune, a 2023 fifth-round pick, began his rookie year as Arizona’s backup quarterback behind Joshua Dobbs with Kyler Murray working his way back from an ACL tear. Dobbs was sent to the Vikings at the trade deadline with Murray still not at 100%, so Tune started in Week 9 and got shut out by the Browns’ top-ranked defense.

The 26-year-old held onto the QB2 job in 2024, but only attempted two passes on the year to bring his career total to 23. This offseason, the Cardinals brought in veteran Jacoby Brissett as a more capable and experienced backup to Murray, and they opted not to carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. However, Tune is a strong candidate to be signed to the team’s practice squad as the third-string quarterback.

Tune’s release will leave $86K of dead money on the Cardinals’ salary cap in 2025 and 2026, per OverTheCap. Here are Arizona’s other 11 cuts:

Mbaeteka is the only other player of note, as the Nigeria native is eligible to be an extra player on the practice squad via an international exemption. Teams can place claims on waived players until Wednesday, when all claims will be processed. Unclaimed players will then be eligible to sign with any team’s practice squad.

Eagles, Chiefs Pursued Calais Campbell

August 23rd, 2025 at 2:11pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Eagles and the Chiefs both wanted to sign Calais Campbell this offseason, according to former teammate and ESPN analyst Sam Acho.

Acho revealed the two teams’ interest during a preseason broadcast, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. He played with Campbell in Arizona from 2011 and 2014. Years later in 2018, Acho and Campbell served as NFLPA representives for the Bears and the Jaguars, respectively. Given the pair’s relationship, it’s safe to assume that Acho wasn’t speaking out of turn when referencing Campbell’s free agency process.

Interest from the Eagles and the Chiefs means that at least four other teams were pursuing Campbell before he decided to return to Arizona. The Ravens and the Dolphins also made offers, but a strong signing bonus from the Cardinals was enough to motivate a reunion. Campbell’s move out west also represents a homecoming of sorts, as Phoenix is much closer to his hometown of Denver than his previous teams on the East Coast.

Signing with the Eagles or the Chiefs, last season’s Super Bowl participants, would have been a clear sign that Campbell was chasing a ring to end his Hall of Fame career. A reunion with the Ravens would have offered similar upside.

Instead, the 17-year veteran seems poised to retire a Cardinal without a championship. Though Arizona is expected to improve after two losing seasons under head coach Jonathan Gannon, they are not considered a serious Super Bowl contender.

Cardinals CB Garrett Williams, LB Zaven Collins To Play Hybrid Roles In 2025

August 23rd, 2025 at 1:13pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cardinals are planning to use cornerback Garrett Williams in a hybrid slot-outside role this year, according to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.

Williams, a 2023 third-round pick, carved out a role as Arizona’s primary nickel defender by the end of his rookie season. He emerged as one of the NFL’s best slot corners in 2024, allowing a league-low 0.77 yards per coverage snap, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Williams is now set to step into a full-time role that will likely see him line up on the outside in base formations and slide into the slot for nickel and dime sets. That was already the plan before Starling Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered knee injuries, but their absences will put more pressure on Williams to stay healthy and perform in both spots.

Williams only has 21 NFL snaps on the boundary, but he primarily played there in college. He said in July (via Weinfuss) that his thre years of starting experience at Syracuse will help him transition between outside and slot corner throughout the season.

Cardinals 2021 first-rounder Zaven Collins is also expected to play a hybrid role in Arizona’s defense. He started 22 games at inside linebacker in his first two seasons before moving to the edge under new head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis in 2023. He started every game over the next two years and led the defense with 8.5 official sacks and 61 total pressures (via PFF).

Collins lined up at inside and outside linebacker at the beginning of camp, per Weinfuss. Rallis complimented his improvements as a pass rusher this week (via Howard Balzer of CardsWire), suggesting that the 26-year-old will primarily line up as an edge rusher while moonlighting as an off-ball linebacker.

NFL Minor Transactions: 8/20/25

August 20th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Reverted to IR: T Gareth Warren
  • Waived (with injury settlement): LB Devin Harper

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Waller will now be able to officially return to the field today as he attempts to shake off a year’s worth of retirement. Head coach Mike McDaniel expects him back at practice “very soon,” potentially even this week, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

The Bears have landed the services of the veteran Freeman as they deal with absences from D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, and Travis Homer. Hankins had gotten the starting nod in the team’s last preseason game for that same reason, and he’ll now hand off that role to Freeman.

Ferguson, the Dolphins’ former long snapper of the past five years, finally gets a job after his release from Miami. The Texans were really liking what they were seeing out of undrafted rookie Austin Brinkman, but a minor, short-team injury will keep him from the team’s final preseason game, requiring at least a short stay from Ferguson.

Cardinals’ Calais Campbell Anticipates Retiring After 2025 Season

August 14th, 2025 at 5:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

Retirement has been a talking point surrounding Calais Campbell for years now. The 2010s All-Decade Team member is set to play in 2025, but it could mark the end of the road in his case.

When asked on Thursday if the coming campaign will be his last, Campbell said (via Bleacher Report’s James Palmer), “I’d be very surprised if it’s not.” Nearing his 39th birthday, Campbell has given thought to retirement in the past, and he clarified his current stance on the matter is the same as it was last year (video link). Depending on how the 2025 season plays out, therefore, the decision to hang up his cleats could very well come next spring.

Campbell has continued to draw interest around the league even in the waning stages of his career. The former All-Pro spent 2024 with the Dolphins after a midseason trade sending him back to the Ravens fell through. Both Miami and Baltimore attempted to sign him in free agency this spring, but Campbell ultimately retuned to where his NFL tenure began by taking a deal with the Cardinals.

The six-time Pro Bowler spent his first nine seasons in Arizona, reaching the Super Bowl as a rookie and establishing himself as one of the league’s best (and most versatile) defensive linemen over the following years. A three-year stint with the Jaguars resulted in Campbell’s string of awards continuing, and he remained a full-time starter during a tenure of the same length in Baltimore. After a cost-shedding Ravens release, Campbell spent 2023 with the Falcons.

It was during that Atlanta campaign that Campbell surpassed 100 career sacks, a feat he repeatedly stated he wished to attain before retiring. The Miami alum returned to the location of his college career for 2024 and added another five sacks to his career total while logging over half of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps. A notable workload should again be in store with Arizona.

Campbell, 39 in September, has been able to delay retirement partly because of good health. The 261-game participant has mostly healthy in his NFL twilight years. Campbell did not miss a game during his Falcons and Dolphins one-off seasons. This has allowed the standout interior defender/kick-blocking presence to rise on the all-time sack list. Campbell sits 29th on the official sack list (1982-present), with 110.5. He is just 2.5 sacks away from the top 25, though the likes of T.J. Watt, Khalil Mack and Myles Garrett — each just behind Campbell — could vault the two-time Cardinal on the all-time list this season.

The Cardinals stood down along their defensive line during the first offseason after J.J. Watt‘s retirement and Zach Allen‘s Broncos defection, but they have made far more notable investments here over the past two years. They used a first-round pick on Darius Robinson in 2024 then spent their ’25 first-rounder on Walter Nolen. In addition to Campbell, Arizona added Dalvin Tomlinson to fortify its front this year.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/25

August 12th, 2025 at 8:22pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
  • Placed on IR: WR Trishton Jackson
  • Awarded via waivers: OL Roy Mbaeteka

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: LB Alphonzo Tuputala

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Waived: K Ryan Coe
  • Waived/injured: QB Michael Pratt

Tennessee Titans

Mbaeteka was waived by the Browns on Monday and quickly found a new home in Arizona. The Nigeria native has an international player exemption, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire, allowing the Cardinals to carry 91 players on their preseason roster. The exemption also makes Mbaeteka eligible to be an extra 17th player on the team’s practice squad.

Herndon, 29, will add some defensive back depth to Buffalo’s secondary. Interestingly, the Bills listed Herndon as a safety when they announced his signing, though the seven-year veteran has primarily played both outside and slot cornerback throughout his career.

Price, a 49ers third-round pick in 2022, has only played 105 total snaps in his first three NFL seasons. In Green Bay, he’ll fight for a roster spot in the Packers’ backfield behind Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, and MarShawn Lloyd.

Asamoah’s release by the Vikings was a bit of a surprise given that the 2022 third-rounder has appeared in 46 games over the last three seasons, primarily as a core special teams contributor. However, he had yet to develop into a reliable defender in Brian Flores‘ scheme and will look to compete for a role elsewhere.

Johnstone’s release signals that offseason signing Charley Hughlett will be the Eagles’ long snapper for the 2025 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/25

August 10th, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Placed on IR: CB Robert Longerbeam

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

  • Signed: RB Deneric Prince, DE Jereme Robinson
  • Waived: S Josh Minkins
  • Placed on IR: RB Lan Larison

New Orleans Saints

  • Waived/injured: WR Chris Tyree

Larison suffered a foot injury during a promising preseason debut against the Commanders on Friday night. He will undergo surgery and spend the season rehabbing, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, with the hope of renewing his 53-man roster push next summer.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/25

August 7th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: TE Steven Stilianos

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE Thomas Yassmin
  • Waived/injured: TE Jordan Petaia

New York Giants

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Ty Summers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Hernandez received full clearance after an October 2024 ACL tear, but his Cardinals return will not come with immediate full-time practice duty. The former Giants second-round pick should be considered a strong candidate to start again for the Cards, but for now, the team is easing him back into action.

Summer expects to be running again soon after suffering a groin injury, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, who indicates a return to the Giants is not off the radar. Summers played 16 games for the Giants last season, starting two.

A former Giants first-rounder who has bounced around the league in recent years, Apple will see his 49ers stint last barely a week. The 49ers were Apple’s seventh NFL team. He spent last season with the Chargers, playing four games.

Cardinals, G Will Hernandez Agree To Deal

August 7th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Will Hernandez is set to continue his career in the desert. The veteran guard’s recent Cardinals visit has produced a one-year agreement, he announced on Instagram Thursday. The team has since confirmed the move.

Late in July, Hernandez received full clearance upon completing the rehab process for his 2024 ACL tear. That made him one of the top free agent blockers on the market, and in short order the 29-year-old met with Arizona to discuss a new pact. Things have clearly gone well in that regard.

After playing out his rookie deal with the Giants, Hernandez has spent the past three years with the Cardinals. The former second-rounder initially took a one-year pact but was retained on a raise after his debut Arizona season. Hernandez has started each of his 35 games with his second career team, and he could reprise his first-team gig in 2025.

The Cardinals re-signed Evan Brown and he is in position to handle left guard duties. The other guard position is currently unsettled, however. As a result, Hernandez could fill that spot upon returning to the team. It will be interesting to see how large his workload is in training camp practices and preseason contests now that he is officially back in the fold.

Hernandez played on a $4.5MM-per-year pact when he re-signed with the Cardinals for the first time. Given his missed time last year, the UTEP product will no doubt be attached to a less lucrative deal this time around. Arizona entered Thursday with over $35MM in cap space, so this move will not affect any other roster moves planned for the near future.

2024 third-round pick Isaiah Adams started five games at right guard last season in Hernandez’s absence. He was the top option to handle that role on a full-time basis this season for much of the offseason, but things have now changed. With Hernandez in place once more, Adams will likely find himself as a backup option once again.

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