HEADLINES

Justin Pugh

Cardinals Place WR Marquise Brown On IR, Activate G Cody Ford

October 20th, 2022 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hopes for a DeAndre Hopkins–Robbie Anderson–Marquise Brown trio will be on hold for a while. The Cardinals moved Brown to IR on Thursday, sidelining the diminutive playmaker for at least four weeks.

Brown received a second opinion on his foot injury Wednesday, and Dr. Robert Anderson confirmed a four- to six-week recovery timetable. Brown will be shut down until close to December. His injury led to the Cardinals making the trade for Anderson, whose Panthers stock cratered after his Week 6 banishment.

The Cardinals are also not wasting much time with Cody Ford. Just two days after the recent trade acquisition returned to practice, the Cards activated him from IR. This marks Arizona’s third injury activation this season. Ford will take the roster spot of Justin Pugh. An ACL tear sent the veteran guard to IR.

Arizona is also promoting Rodrigo Blankenship to its gameday 55-man roster, along with running back Corey Clement. Signed on Tuesday, Blankenship is in position to work as Arizona’s latest Matt Prater fill-in option. Prater has missed the past two games due to a hip injury. Matt Ammendola kicked in his place during that span, but the Cards are making a change here. Arizona has yet to rule out Prater, but the veteran kicker did not practice this week.

Hopkins will make his 2022 debut tonight, after serving a six-game PED suspension. The Cardinals traded for Brown during the draft, but news of Hopkins’ ban broke shortly after. Brown is under contract through 2023, like Anderson, but the former’s status is more assured beyond 2022. Tonight, however, it will be Anderson teaming with Hopkins. That said, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder notes the recently acquired receiver will only have a package of plays (Twitter link). A 10-15% snap share is expected for the former Jets and Panthers wideout.

Pugh’s injury opens the door for Ford, who joins Brown and Kyler Murray as Oklahoma alums chosen in the 2019 draft. Unlike the better-known ex-Sooners, Ford is in a contract year. The Bills shipped the underwhelming guard to the Cardinals for a fifth-round pick.

A 2019 second-rounder, Ford has made 29 career starts. It is not a lock he adds to that total soon, with the Cards having veteran eighth-year vet Max Garcia in the fold opposite Will Hernandez. But Ford provides decent depth for a team that suddenly needs it up front. Ford, who suffered an ankle injury not long after the Cardinals traded for him, joins Billy Price as notable Cardinals O-line depth pieces.

Cardinals G Justin Pugh Out For Season

October 18th, 2022 at 10:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Pugh joined Rodney Hudson in considering retirement this offseason. In order to continue his career, the veteran guard will now need to go through an extensive rehab effort. Pugh is believed to have torn an ACL, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.

While Pugh has a notable injury history, this will be his shortest NFL season. Pugh, 32, missed the Cardinals’ opener because of a neck injury. This five-game season will also close out the veteran offensive lineman’s contract, which he signed in 2018. The 10th-year veteran’s latest setback obviously hurts his value for a potential free agency run in 2023.

Arizona paid up for Pugh four years ago, giving him a five-year, $45MM contract to head west. The former Giants first-rounder has now played five seasons with two teams. Pugh’s Arizona commitment ended up giving Kyler Murray a long-term interior presence; the Syracuse alum has 119 career starts under his belt.

The Giants struggled to assemble quality lines during Eli Manning‘s final seasons, but Pugh was part of five New York fronts, working as a guard and at right tackle. Pugh suffered a midseason injury during his first Cardinals campaign — that one also a knee malady — but he was mostly healthy during Murray’s rookie-contract seasons. Pugh played 45 games from 2019-21, being the team’s interior constant as Murray grew into a Pro Bowler.

Pugh agreed to a pay cut during the 2021 offseason, but after a 2022 salary reduction, the Syracuse product said he contemplated retirement. Hudson also did so, but the veteran center reported to Cards training camp as well. This injury hurts one of the league’s most experienced O-lines, a unit that headed into the season housing a 12th-year center, a 10th-year left guard, an 11th-year right tackle (Kelvin Beachum) and an eighth-year left tackle (D.J. Humphries).

Pro Football Focus ranks Pugh as this season’s No. 36 overall guard. The Cardinals are seeing a nice bounce-back season from free agent flier Will Hernandez, whom PFF slots in the top 20. Max Garcia replaced Pugh against the Seahawks; the eighth-year vet started 11 games last season. Pugh’s injury also makes the Cards’ decision to trade for Cody Ford a bit more important. Arizona designated Ford for return Tuesday and could activate him at any point in the next three weeks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/22

September 10th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league, as teams prepare for the first Sunday slate of regular season games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Cardinals’ moves come as a reaction to yesterday’s injury news. Baccellia’s roster spot was opened up in the short-term by the injury to Rondale Moore, but he won’t simply be a stop-gap. Arizona signed the 25-year-old to a two-year deal to remain on the main roster, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). A UDFA out of Washington, Baccellia has yet to make a regular season NFL appearance.

Likewise, the fact that Ford will miss at least the first four weeks of the season makes the re-acquisition of Garcia a logical one. The former fourth-rounder has plenty of guard experience, including his three seasons spent in Arizona. It was only in 2021 that he logged any starts, but he could provide veteran depth behind Justin Pugh at least until Ford is able to return.

Addison, 35, was one of several veteran signings the Texans made this offseason to add depth to their front seven. He had a productive season with the Bills last season, notching seven sacks despite not starting any games. In his absence, Harris and Pierre-Louis will provide depth in the edge rush department on Sunday, and likely the short-term future as well.

Quick reminder that standard game day practice squad promotions are a recent development from the new CBA and COVID-19 seasons. Essentially, each team is able to promote two players from the practice squad to the active roster for game days. The players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after the game, not needing to clear waivers before rejoining the developmental roster. A player can only be promoted three times per season. If a team would like to promote a player for a fourth game, they’ll need to go through the normal method of creating space on the 53-man roster to promote them and have them clear waivers before placing them back on the practice squad. That is the difference between “Signed to 53-man roster” from the practice squad and “Promoted from practice squad.”

Latest On Cardinals Offensive Line

June 14th, 2022 at 6:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Rodney Hudson is a no-show in Arizona. The veteran center hasn’t attended Cardinals mandatory minicamp and doesn’t have an excused absence, coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters (via Darren Urban of the team’s website). The coach wouldn’t reveal why Hudson was staying away from the team, just noting that the two sides were “working through something.”

[RELATED: Center Billy Price To Visit Cardinals]

Hudson was acquired by the Cardinals last offseason, and he started each of his 12 games in 2021 while missing a handful of appearances thanks to rib and shoulder injuries. The 32-year-old still has two years remaining on the three-year, $30MM extension he signed Arizona following his trade from the Raiders. Of course, the offensive lineman’s absence may have nothing to do with money, and considering the Cardinals don’t really have a path to get out of his 2022 salary, it’d make more sense if the front office pursued a reworked deal next offseason. We’ll likely learn more about the situation if Hudson’s absence extends into the preseason.

With the Cardinals down a man, the organization has turned to veteran guard Justin Pugh to pick up the slack at center. Speaking to reporters, Pugh said switching positions could ultimately extend his career.

“I could see myself playing center,” Pugh said. “I’ve capped out money-wise at guard. Why not go out and see if I can play center? In this offseason, with Kyler (Murray), center is a very important position. There are a lot of centers that play older in their years, because physically it’s not as demanding. Mentally it’s much more intense, and that’s where I think I can succeed.

“We’ll try it out. We’ll see how it goes. If I don’t play real well, you’ll see me at left guard.”

Pugh also admitted that he considered hanging up his cleats following the 2021 campaign, and he made it clear that his frustration was due to the pay cut he accepted prior to the season. Ultimately, Pugh re-signed with the organization this offseason on a one-year, $5.5MM pact, and while he ultimately decided to let bygones be bygones, he still sounded a bit worked up about the money he had to sacrifice last year.

“All of a sudden, it’s ‘I’m going to cut your pay,’ and I don’t care what you do, someone cuts your pay by 33 percent, you’re not going to be happy,” Pugh said. “Then you factor in how much you love the game, how much you love being around the guys, how much you love to compete, and there is no dollar amount that can fill that gap.”

Other than Pugh, the Cardinals have limited options at center. As Urban writes, veteran Sean Harlow has some experience playing the position, but similar to Pugh, he’s more of an offensive guard. The team has also tried rookie guard Lecitus Smith at the position throughout minicamp. The team also brought in Billy Price on a free agent visit.

Cardinals Rework Justin Pugh’s Deal

March 14th, 2022 at 9:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have restructured Justin Pugh‘s contract, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. The new deal will trim Pugh’s base salary from $9.8MM to $5.5MM, freeing up a nice chunk of change for Arizona heading into free agency. 

It’s a substantial pay cut for the veteran offensive guard, though he can still recoup $1.5MM via incentives. The 31-year-old (32 in August) joined the Cardinals on a five-year, $45MM deal in 2018, though he has forfeited a good chunk of change since then. Last year, Pugh took a pay cut that dropped his base salary from $7.75MM to $5MM.

The former first-round pick has stabilized his career while working mostly at left guard over the past three seasons. After injuries derailed his 2017 and ’18 seasons, Pugh has started 44 games since Kyler Murray‘s 2019 arrival.

Despite the contract adjustments, Pugh remains signed through the 2022 season. He’ll now have an opportunity to reclaim some of his value in his walk year.

Cardinals Place Jordan Phillips On IR

September 2nd, 2021 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Just a few days ago, the Cardinals activated Jordan Phillips from the reserve/COVID list. On Thursday, the Cardinals parked him once again, this time on injured reserve. In a related move, offensive lineman Justin Pugh has been brought back from the COVID list.

Phillips was dealing with an undisclosed injury throughout the summer and his condition still isn’t quite clear. Last year, a balky hamstring let to two separate IR stints and a total of seven missed games. In his nine contests, Phillips registered two sacks and eleven total stops from the right defensive tackle spot.

The Cardinals furnished Phillips with a three-year, $40MM in 2020 that included $18.5MM guaranteed. Phillips enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in Buffalo, but Arizona has yet to see him at his best. In 2019, his last healthy season, he tallied 9.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits for the Bills.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/21

August 18th, 2021 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: K Lirim Hajrullahu

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Samuel Eguavoen; Eguavoen tested positive for the coronavirus

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Claimed (from Steelers): OT Brandon Walton
  • Waived/injured: S Raven Greene

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/21

July 29th, 2021 at 5:34pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Jordan Veasy

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: OT Chidi Okeke
  • Waived: OT Calvin Ashley

Tennessee Titans

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Bud Dupree; Dupree remains on Tennessee’s active/PUP list as well

Washington Football Team

Cardinals G Justin Pugh Accepts Pay Cut

March 23rd, 2021 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals have added a few key pieces this offseason. One of their starting offensive linemen agreed to a pay cut to help them do so.

In the wake of the Cards adding J.J. Watt, A.J. Green and Rodney Hudson, three-year Cardinals guard starter Justin Pugh revealed he accepted a pay cut (Twitter link). Pugh signed a five-year, $45MM deal in 2018 but agreed to trim some of his 2021 salary recently.

Pugh will drop his 2021 base salary from $7.75MM to $5MM, SI.com’s Howard Balzer notes. In exchange for Pugh agreeing to the slight reduction, the Cardinals will guarantee $4MM of his 2021 base. The Cardinals created nearly $5MM in cap space by making this move, with Pugh’s cap number set to drop from $11.2MM to $6.9MM. He can collect up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses as well, per Balzer.

Cards GM Steve Keim said Monday he views Pugh as the team’s starting left guard going forward. The former first-round pick has stabilized his career while working at this position over the past two seasons. After injuries derailed his 2017 and ’18 seasons, Pugh has started 31 games since Kyler Murray‘s 2019 arrival. Pugh, 30, remains signed through the 2022 season.

NFC West Rumors: Seahawks, Rams, Kupp

July 24th, 2019 at 10:32am CST by Zachary Links

You can expect the Seahawks to add a veteran defensive tackle following Jarran Reed‘s suspension, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets. He also offers a couple of names to keep an eye on: Earl Mitchell and Corey Liuget have both been linked to Seattle and are still available.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

  • Rams receiver Cooper Kupp will not have to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, Steve Wyche of NFL Media tweets. That’s huge for Kupp, who tore his left ACL in November. The receiver has been vocal about his desire to play in Week 1 and it sounds like he’ll be ready to go for the opener if all goes well from here. Last year, Kupp had 40 catches for 566 yards and six scores before succumbing to injury.
  • A minor bit of news – Cardinals lineman Justin Pugh will shift from right guard back to his native left guard this season (Twitter link via Pugh). Pugh, 29 in August, started in all seven of his games for the Cardinals last year before landing on IR in November. The former first-round pick, unfortunately, has not played a full season since his 2013 rookie year.
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