Bryson Green

Cardinals Opening Practice Windows For Garrett Williams, BJ Ojulari

The Cardinals’ defense could welcome a pair of reinforcements in the coming weeks. Head coach Jonathan Gannon announced that the Cardinals opened cornerback Garrett Williams 21-day practice window on Tuesday. Gannon added that the team will open outside linebacker BJ Ojulari‘s practice window on Thursday.

Now 2-5 after suffering five straight one-score losses, the Cardinals are coming off their bye and will face the Cowboys on Monday. While it’s unclear if Williams will be ready for that game, it would be ideal to have him back against a high-flying Cowboys attack.

Williams, who played both slot and outside corner early this season, was in on almost every Cardinals defensive snap before going on IR with a knee injury after Week 2. The Cardinals began 2-0 with Williams in the fold. The third-year man broke out last season with 58 tackles, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions over 16 games (11 starts). Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as the third-best corner in the NFL in 2024.

In Williams’ absence this season, the Cardinals have used safeties Jalen Thompson and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson in nickel situations. Second-round rookie Will Johnson has received increased playing time on the outside. The Cardinals’ defense has fared respectably without Williams. The unit ranks seventh in passer rating against and 13th in points per game allowed, and it should get even stronger once Williams rejoins the fray.

Arizona hasn’t gotten anything from Ojulari since 2023, his rookie season. The former second-rounder from LSU appeared in all 17 games in his first year and picked up 40 tackles and four sacks. He tore his ACL during the ensuing summer and hasn’t played since. Ojulari, who opened this season on the reserve/PUP list, will give the Cardinals extra pass-rushing depth at OLB behind Josh Sweat and Baron Browning if he’s healthy enough to return in the next three weeks. Sweat and Browning have combined for seven of the Cardinals’ 12 sacks.

Arizona also made a few minor moves on Tuesday, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. After the Cardinals released running back Michael Carter and cornerback Darren Hall on Monday, they re-signed the pair to their practice squad. At the same time, they released two receivers – Bryson Green and D’Ernest Johnson – and tight end Nick Muse from the P-squad.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/25

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: T Isaac Alarcón

Seattle Seahawks

Both Jacksonville and San Francisco had their practice squads filled up with 16 players apiece, but Zierer and Alarcón were both able to be added as players in the league’s International Player Pathway Program. Zierer is a German-born lineman, and Alarcón was born in Mexico.

Cardinals Trim Roster To 53

The Cardinals announced the following roster moves to get down to their initial 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

First-round defensive tackle Nolen will miss at least the first four weeks of his rookie year. The Ole Miss product is dealing with a calf injury that forced him to miss most of training camp. Another d-lineman, Barrs will hit waivers but stands a good chance at landing on the practice squad if he clears.

The Cards made some surprise decisions in the running backs rooms, disposing of veterans like Carter and Dallas in favor of Zonovan Knight, who hasn’t appeared in a game since 2023. One of the veterans could end up back on the practice squad, as could wide receiver/special teamer Fehoko.

Russell suffered a concussion in training and will now miss the entire 2025 season on injured reserve. Jones and Conner, though, will be eligible to return after, at least, a four-week absence. The two linemen are dealing with knee injuries but may be able to bolster the line later in the year.

Brewer getting cut means the team does not have a long snapper on the roster. Likely, the team has a handshake deal with Brewer that will allow them to place some players on injured lists, opening a spot for him and others to return.

Cardinals Add Six UDFAs

Six of the Cardinals’ seven draft picks were devoted to the defensive side of the ball. Arizona has now made the following additions in the form of undrafted free agent signings:

After the draft – during which only one addition was made to the unit – general manager Monti Ossenfort made it clear move moves along the offensive line would be coming. To no surprise, half of Arizona’s UDFA class is made up of blockers. Senn is among the players who received the largest financial commitments amongst undrafted rookies. The Austrian landed a $40K signing bonus along with $234K of his base salary being guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports.

Fryar also secured a notable guarantee total from Arizona, per Wilson. The four-year Buckeye received $35K up front coupled with the same $234K salary guarantee. Fryar and Senn will both look to carve out a depth role on the Cardinals’ 53-man roster during training camp. One or both could find themselves on the practice squad if they are among the team’s final roster cuts.

Green spent two seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Wisconsin. The 6-2, 215-pounder was unable to parlay his size into a season with notable production at either program, but over the course of his career he averaged 14.7 yards per reception. Wilson reports Green received $264K in total guarantees to head to Arizona for the offseason.